UNIVERSITY  OF 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 

00022228448 


GIPSY'S  ADVENTURES. 


By   JOSEPHINE   POLLARD. 


THREE       ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW  YORK: 
NELSON     &     PHILLIPS. 

CINCINNATI :  HITCHCOCK  &  WALDEN. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1875,  by 

NELSON  &  PHILLIPS, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


^llunixntxanz 


Page 

Gipsy  Yiewing  the  Ocean 2 

The  Prayer  in  the  Boat 11 

Gipsy  as  "  Phebe  Whittlesey  " 130 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/gipsysadventuresOOpoll 


GIPSY'S  ADVENTURES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

I  SUPPOSE  you  thought,  just  as  Gipsy 
Warner  did,  that  when  she  became 
a  member  of  Aunt  Elsie's  family  there 
would  be  no  end  of  good  times,  and  no 
immediate  change  in  her  prospects.  But 
Stella,  who  was  never  very  well  or  strong, 
began  to  droop  visibly  when  the  spring 
set  in,  and  it  was  decided  to  send  her  to 
Uncle  Nathan  Terry's,  where  there  were 
plenty  of  good  cream  and  pure  country 
air. 

And,  besides,  there  was  Aunt  Hannah, 
who  was  better  than  any  doctor,  and,  hav- 

696739 


8  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

ing  no  chick  nor  child  of  her  own,  was 
mother  to  every  body  in  the  neighbor- 
hood ! 

Frank  had  a  longing  desire  to  be  ill, 
and  was  continually  looking  in  the  glass 
to  see  if  there  was  any  falling  off  in  flesh 
or  color ;  but  as  his  appetite  and  Beauty's 
remained  equally  good,  there  was  no  ne- 
cessity for  either  of  them  to  be  coaxed 
into  eating  any  more. 

Stella  was  a  very  obedient  child,  and 
whatever  her  parents  thought  was  best 
she  yielded  to  without  a  murmuring  word ; 
and  it  was  no  hardship  to  visit  Aunt  Han- 
nah and  Uncle  Nathan.  But  somehow  or 
other,  while  the  mention  of  the  plan 
opened  to  her  a  pleasant  prospect  enough, 
her  face  did  not  wear  its  usually  content- 
ed look.  If  she  needed  country  air  and 
country  fare,  there  was  no  other  place  equal 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  9 

to  Uncle  Nathan's,  as  Pauline  was  ready- 
to  testify. 

"  O,  that  lovely  bay  and  ocean  ! "  ex- 
claimed the  latter,  carried  away  by  her  en- 
thusiasm. "  It  makes  one  feel  strong  just 
to  be  near  them  ! " 

"  Dear  me ! "  sighed  Gipsy,  resting  her 
elbows  on  her  knees,  and  covering  her  face 
with  both  hands.  She  had  never  been  in 
any  place  quite  like  Meterville,  and  the 
vivid  descriptions  of  its  wonderful  scenery, 
and  altogether  unequaled  surroundings, 
had  aroused  in  her  an  intense  desire  to  ac- 
company Stella.  She  had  kept  it,  how- 
ever, to  herself,  and  even  Stella  had  not 
guessed  how  willingly  Gipsy  would  have 
gone  with  her  into  exile;  but  when  Aunt 
Elsie  heard  the  involuntary  sigh,  and 
looked  toward  Gipsy,  it  seemed  as  if  a  lit- 
tle window  was  opened  right  into  her  mind. 


10  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

Nothing  was  said,  however,  on  that  day, 
for  Mrs.  Goodenough  was  not  one  to  hint 
at  what  might  possibly  happen  unless  she 
was  pretty  sure,  and  meant  to  do  her  part 
toward  bringing  it  about. 

When  she  and  the  two  girls  were  to- 
gether one  morning,  she  said,  as  if  she  had 
just  thought  of  it,  "How  would  you  like 
to  have  Gipsy  go  with  you  to  Uncle 
Nathan's  V\ 

Gipsy's  work  dropped  out  of  her  hands, 
and  she  sat  as  stiff  as  a  stake,  staring  at 
Aunt  Elsie  as  if  the  latter  had  proposed 
beheading  her.  The  question  had  a  much 
different  effect  upon  Stella,  whose  blue 
eyes  overflowed  immediately,  and  a  rain 
of  tears  and  of  kisses  made  quite  a  deluge 
in  her  mother's  neck. 

"I  don't  know  how  I  can  spare  you 
both,"  said  Mrs.  Goodenough,  reaching  out 


Gipsy's  Adventuees.  11 

an  arm  to  embrace  the  adopted  daughter, 
"  but  if  you  are  happier  for  being  together 
I'll  try  to  stand  it." 

It  was  well  that  Aunt  Elsie  was  rather 
substantially  built,  or  she  might  have  been 
crushed  to  death  in  the  sugar  press  that 
clasped  her  around  the  waist  and  the  neck 
so  tightly  there  was  no  escape  from  it. 

"  You  are  just  the  blessedest  folks ! " 
said  Gipsy  when  she  could  find  words, 
giving  Aunt  Elsie  an  extra  hug. 

"  And  you  really  care  to  go  ? "  inquired 
Stella's  mother.  "I  thought  you  liked 
best  to  live  in  a  city." 

"So  I  did — once,"  said  Gipsy  very  can- 
didly ;  "  but  I  like  the  country  when  I 
like  the  folks." 

"  Ah !  Then  you  are  sure  you  w^ont 
be  homesick,  or  make  my  little  Stella 
unhappy  ? " 


12  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

"I'll  try  not  to." 

"I  don't  want  to  go  without  her,  mam- 
ma dear ! "  said  Stella,  leaving  her  moth- 
er's arms  to  give  an  embrace  to  Gipsy. 
"  She's  my  own,  own  sister." 

"So  she  is,  darling;  and  I  hope  you'll 
have  many  good  times  together.  I  don't 
know  how  I  came  to  think  of  separating 
you." 

They  had  talked  so  much  about  Meter- 
ville,  and  described  so  fully  Uncle  Na- 
than's home  and  its  surroundings,  that 
Gipsy  felt  quite  sure  that  she  could  find 
the  place  easily  if  she  were  only  started 
on  the  right  road. 

She  had  but  to  shut  her  eyes  and  there 
it  was,  exactly  as  plain  as  a  photograph  ! 
O,  long  before  it  was  time  for  them  to 
start,  she  and  Stella  had  been  (in  imagina- 
tion, you  know)  over  the  old  house  with 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  13 

its  queer-shaped  rooms,  had  actually  rolled 
on  the  smooth,  green  lawn,  and  visited 
every  corner  of  the  big  barn. 

Had  it  been  for  good  and  all,  Gipsy 
might  have  felt  some  reluctance  at  leaving 
her  pleasant  home  with  the  Goodenoughs, 
and  breaking  up  the  routine  that  was 
working  such  an  astonishing  improve- 
ment in  her.  But  the  love  of  novelty,  and 
the  desire  to  know  more  of  the  great,  big 
world  she  lived  in,  made  a  temporary 
change  very  desirable,  especially  when  it 
was  to  be  shared  with  Stella,  who  was 
such  a  contrast  to  Gipsy,  both  in  looks  and 
in  ways,  that  they  were  suitable  compan- 
ions for  each  other. 

They  could  hardly  sleep  at  night  for 
talking  of  the  proposed  trip,  even  though 
they  tried  every  imaginable  way  of  coaxing 
M  the  drowsy  god  " — except  keeping  quiet. 


14  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

Frank  occupied  a  bed  in  the  same  room, 
and  was  very  apt  to  prove  a  disturbing 
element.  "Thtella,"  he  would  whisper, 
quite  softly  at  first,  "  are  you  athleep  ? " 

Stella,  who  shut  out  as  much  of  the 
world  as  she  could  with  the  bed-clothes, 
at  the  risk,  almost,  of  smothering  to  death, 
was  seldom  the  first  one  to  reply.  Gipsy 
seemed  to  sleep  with  one  eye  and  one  ear 
open,  and  generally  heard  all  the  voices  of 
the  night,  even  to  the  squeaking  of  a 
mouse,  so  Frank  was  pretty  sure  of  having 
a  response  to  any  question  he  might  ask. 

"I  'prentithed  my  thun,"  said  Frank, 
with  parental  firmness. 

"Well,"  said  Gipsy,  giving  Stella  a 
nudge  that  brought  her  head  up  as  sud- 
denly as  if  she  had  been  a  turtle,  "  go  on." 

aTo  a  grother,"  said  Frank,  "and  the 
firtht  thing  he  thold  wath  ML" 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  15 

He  meant  S,  which  was  the  initial  of 
the  article  his  son  had  to  dispose  of. 

"  Sugar,"  said  Gipsy. 

"No,"  said  Frank. 

"  Starch,"  was  Stella's  guess ;  and  so  they 
went  on  with  soap,  salt,  saleratus,  soda, 
sal-soda,  and  every  thing  else  that  a  gro- 
cery-store might  possibly  contain  begin- 
ning with  the  letter  S  without  hitting  the 
mark,  and  they  were  obliged  to  give  it  up. 

"Thcales!"  said  Frank,  as  triumphant- 
ly as  he  could,  with  an  infirmity  to  con- 
tend with. 

"Scales!"  echoed  both  the  girls;  "that 
isn't  fair!  They  sell  those  at  the  hard- 
ware store ! " 

"Thith  wath  an  old  pair,"  explained  the 
paternal  Frank,  whose  son — as  a  salesman 
• — had  so  effectually  bothered  the  guessers, 
and  given  him  an  extra  turn.     "  I  'pren- 


16  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

tithed  my  thun,"  he  began  again,  which 
announcement  was  received  with  a  very- 
audible  snore,  followed  by  perfect  silence. 
The  "  rampage  "  around  the  grocery  store, 
however,  had  so  affected  their  appetites 
that  they  could  not  think  of  going  to  sleep 
in  that  hungry  condition. 

"I  apprenticed  my  son  to  a  hardware 
store,"  said  Gipsy,  breaking  up  the  still- 
ness with  a  suddenness  that  startled  both 
Frank  and  Stella,  "  and  the  first  thing  he 
sold  was  N? 

"Nails?" 

"No." 

"  'Nobs  ? "  finding  it  convenient  to  drop 

"No." 

They  tried  nursery  lamps,  nut-crack- 
ers, ninepins,  navy  buttons,  and  needles, 
with  the  same  success;   and  as  they  had 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  17 

but  a  faint  idea  of  the  contents  of  such  a 
store,  their  guess  works  moved  very  slowly. 

"  O,  nothing ! "  exclaimed  Stella  in  sheer 
desperation,  drawing  in  her  head  like  a 
discomfited  turtle. 

"Yes,  yes!"  said  Gipsy.  "That's  it, 
Stella !     Now  it's  your  turn  ! " 

Of  course  Stella  must  take  her  chance; 
so  she  popped  up  her  flaxen  head  to  say : 

"I  apprenticed  my  son  to  a  dry-goods 
store,  and  the  first  thing  he  sold  was  <7." 

"  Calico  " — "  comforters" — "  cashmere  " — 
"  cotton  " — "  counterpanes  " — "  curtains  " — 
were  offered  in  their  turn  by  Gipsy  and 
Frank,  each  one  endeavoring  to  discover 
some  odd  article,  that  Stella  would  be 
very  likely  to  select. 

Her  repeated  "No's"  were  rather  dis- 
couraging, and  had  the  effect  of  drawing 
them  back  to  common  things. 


18  Gipsy's  Adveisttukes. 

"  Cotton  % "  inquired  Frank. 

"No"   was    the  reply.      "You've    said 
that  once." 

"But  I  mean  another  kind." 

"  Well,  it  isn't  cotton  at  all." 

"I've  guessed  every  thing,"  said  Gipsy, 
beginning  to  grow  sleepy. 

"  O,  no  you  haven't !  "  said  Stella.  "  I 
can  think  of  lots  of  things." 

"  Crash  J " 

"No." 

"  Are  you  fooling  I "  inquired  Frank. 

"  No,  I'm  not !  "  exclaimed  Stella,  rather 
indignantly.     "  It's  awful  easy." 

"  O,  cuffs,"  said  Gipsy,  thinking  surely 
she  had  hit  the  mark,  for  they  had  that 
very  day  been  looking  at  some  with  gilt 
balls  swinging  from  the  button-holes. 

"No.  It's  something  real  cheap;  only 
costs  a  penny  or  two." 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  19 

"  Now  you're  telling ! "  said  Frank,  very 
glad  to  know  at  what  counter  this  imag- 
inary salesman  was  supposed  to  stand. 

"  Cord  !  "  exclaimed  Gipsy ;  and  the 
"yes"  was  hardly  out  of  Stella's  mouth, 
when  the  door  opened,  and  Aunt  Elsie's 
voice  whispered, 

"  'Tis  time  my  little  folks  were  asleep ; " 
and  in  a  very  short  time  thereafter  the 
three  were  sleeping  as  quietly  as  if  there 
were  no  sons  to  apprentice,  and  no  anxiety 
felt  in  regard  to  their  sales. 

This  was  a  game  they  seldom,  if  ever, 
thought  of  engaging  in  during  the  day; 
but  just  as  soon  as  they  were  in  bed,  it 
popped  out  from  under  the  pillows,  and 
not  a  wink  of  sleep  could  they  get  until 
they  had  apprenticed  their  several  sons  to 
some  enterprising  merchant. 

The  greatest  fun  was  to  put  him  into  a 

3 


20  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

"Yankee  Notion"  store,  for  where  pretty- 
nearly  every  thing  is  kept,  from  a  needle 
to  a  fish-pole,  guessing  becomes  rather 
serious  work,  and  the  game  is  all  the  more 
enjoyable  on  that  account. 


Glpsys  Adventukes.  21 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  entire  household  was  astir  bright 
and  early  on  the  morning  that  Stella 
and  Gipsy  were  to  take  their  departure. 
Even  Beauty  knew  that  something  un- 
usual was  going  on,  and  with  that  strange 
sagacity  with  which  dogs  are  endowed, 
fixed  upon  the  two  girls  as  the  cause  of 
these  extraordinary  proceedings. 

His  desire  to  help  kept  him  continually 
in  the  way,  and  every  few  minutes  some- 
body was  stumbling  over  poor  Beauty, 
who  couldn't  understand  why  he  should 
be  so  neglected  and  abused. 

When  Frank  explained  that  Gipsy  and 
Stella  were  going  to  Uncle  Nathan's,  and 
that  they  two  were  to  stay  at  home  and 


22  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

look  after  things,  the  dog  seemed  to  ap- 
preciate the  situation,  and  devoted  himself 
most  attentively  to  his  little  master. 

Stella  was  a  very  thoughtful  child,  and 
very  domestic;  in  her  opinion  there  was 
no  place  like  home,  and  she  dreaded  to 
have  the  time  come  when  she  must  say 
"good-bye"  to  her  dear,  dear  mother, 
whose  loving  care  was  so  very  precious 
now  that  she  felt  weak  and  ill.  It  was 
hard  for  her  to  smile,  even,  at  her  father's 
jokes  on  Gipsy's  extravagant  actions ;  and 
as  for  eating — why,  there  was  a  big  lump 
in  her  throat  that  wouldn't  let  any  thing 
go  down ! 

It  was  Stella's  great  misfortune  that  she 
could  not  conceal  her  real  feelings,  and 
this  was  partly  owing  to  the  delicacy  of 
her  constitution,  which  her  parents  hoped 
she  might  in  time  outgrow. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  23 

Gipsy  was  like  one  intoxicated.  Ex- 
citement was  her  life,  and  as  this  wasn't 
to  be  one  of  the  "  forever  good-bye's "  that 
she  was  accustomed  to,  she  didn't  see  the 
necessity  of  wasting  any  tears.  She  ran 
up  stairs  twice  for  her  gloves,  opened  every 
bureau  drawer,  got  down  on  her  knees 
and  looked  under  the  bed,  ran  down  stairs 
to  inquire  of  every  body  if  they  had  seen 
any  thing  of  the  missing  articles,  and,  ac- 
cidentally putting  her  hand  into  her  pock- 
et, drew  them  forth,  to  the  astonishment  of 
no  one  but  herself. 

Her  memory  was  only  about  the  six- 
teenth of  an  inch  long,  and,  until  she  be- 
gan earnestly  to  cultivate  it,  there  was 
little  hope  of  her  growing  very  rapidly 
toward  a  more  perfect  character.  She  re- 
ceived impressions  very  quickly,  but  they 
did  not  last. 


24  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

"  There's  so  much  to  remember ! "  was 
her  ready  excuse,  when  taken  to  task  for 
any  sin  of  omission. 

Stella  brightened  up  wonderfully  when 
she  was  fairly  on  the  train,  and  Mr.  Good- 
enough  smiled  to  see  the  astonishment  of 
the  two  girls  when  he  took  them  into  the 
palace  car,  where  there  were  velvet  sofas 
and  chairs,  handsome  curtains,  and  large 
windows  of  plate  glass  that  framed  in  the 
landscape  so  beautifully.  It  was  as  if 
somebody's  parlor  had  been  put  on  wheels, 
and  every  body  who  came  in  was  expected 
to  be  quiet  and  orderly,  and  not  "  bounce  " 
any  more  than  was  absolutely  necessary. 

Pa  Goodenough  sat  close  beside  them, 
and  pointed  out  every  thing  of  interest, 
preparing  them  for  a  good  look  by  ex- 
plaining beforehand  whatever  he  thought 
deserving  their  notice.     Although   Gipsy 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  25 

had  gone  over  the  same  road  with  Mrs. 
Webb  it  was  all  new  to  her;  and  there 
was  nothing  she  enjoyed  more  than  sight- 
seeing, with  some  one  to  point  out  the  ob- 
jects of  interest. 

"This  is  Trenton,"  said  Mr.  Goode- 
notigh,  some  little  time  before  they  passed 
under  the  shadow  of  the  bridge  that  ex- 
tends over  the  depot.  "It  is  famous  in 
American  history,  as  are  nearly  all  those 
places  we  pass  through." 

"We  can't  see  any  thing,"  said  Gipsy, 
turning  her  head  one  way  and  another. 

"  Not  much,  that's  a  fact ;  but  when  you 
read  of  it,  or  hear  its  name  mentioned, 
you'll  know  that  it  is  really  situated  on 
the  Delaware  river,  between  Philadelphia 
and  New  York." 

"Isn't  every  place  famous  for  some- 
thing?"  inquired   Stella,   as   they  slowly 


26  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

moved  along  at  the  bidding  of  the  great 
steam  giant. 

"Yes,  I  think  so.  Some  places  are 
famous  for  their  stupidity — and  so  are 
some  people,"  he  added,  with  a  touch  of 
drollery. 

Gipsy  was  looking  very  intently  out  of 
the  window,  and  all  at  once  drew  back 
with  such  a  jump  that  Stella  was  fright- 
ened half  out  of  her  wits,  and  putting  her 
hand  out  suddenly  knocked  off  her  father's 
hat,  and  created  quite  a  scene  of  confu- 
sion. 

"  O  my ! "  exclaimed  Gipsy  with  a  sigh 
of  relief.  "  I  thought  we  were  going  right 
into  that  house ! "  and  no  wonder,  for  any 
one  could  have  stepped  out  the  front  door 
right  on  to  the  train,  if  it  had  only  slack- 
ened its  speed. 

Every  one  in  the  car  with  Gipsy  laughed 


Gipsy's  Ad  ventures.  27 

at  her  fright,  and  several  of  them  looked 
as  if  they  had  been  startled  in  the  same 
way  when,  for  the  first  time,  they  went 
through  New  Brunswick.  Even  Stella 
enjoyed  the  laugh,  in  which  Gipsy  joined 
as  heartily  as  any  one,  for  she  never  mind- 
ed turning  a  joke  on  herself. 

"I'll  never  forget  that  place,"  she  said, 
giving  it  a  backward  look;  "and  not  be- 
cause of  its  college,  either !  " 

"You  see  how  little  it  takes  to  make 
one  famous  ! "  remarked  Mr.  Good  enough. 

"Is  that  fame?"  inquired  Gipsy,  rather 
incredulously.  "  I  thought  somebody  had 
to  make  a  big  noise  in  the  world  to  be- 
come famous ! " 

"Well,   didn't   you?      It   isn't  the  one 

who  does  any  remarkable  deed  who  always 

blows  the  trumpet  of  fame,  but  those  who 

are  impressed  with  the  magnitude  of  his 
4 


28  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

work  are  sure  to  sound  his  praise  abroad, 
At  least,  that  is  true  fame." 

"  I'd  like  to  be  famous  for  something ! " 
said  Gipsy,  though  no  one  saw  her  lips 
move.  "Really  and  truly  good  for  some- 
thing, just  to  spite  Granny  Hickson !  I 
wonder  what  I  ever  will  be!  I  used  to 
think  I'd  be  a  dressmaker,  or  a  milliner,  so 
that  I  could  look  scrumptious  all  the  time ; 
but  I  don't  know.  Sometimes  I  think  I'd 
like  to  be  an  artist,  and  paint  pictures  all 
day  long ;  then  I  get  tired  of  that,  and  try 
singing  for  awhile,  and  O  !  it's  splendid  to 
have  a  big  crowd  waiting  for  you  to  open 
your  mouth.  But  I  get  tired  of  that,  and 
want  to  do  men's  work,  build  a  steam- 
engine,  and  have  it  do  just  as  I  say,  or  lead 
an  army  to  battle." 

"What  are  you  thinking  of,  Gipsy?" 
asked   Mr.  Goodenough,  taking   her  sud* 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  29 

denly  by  one  ear  and  hurrying  her  out  of 
her  dream  corner  almost  as  rapidly  as  did 
Granny  Hickson  on  more  than  one  memo- 
rable occasion. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of? " 

"I  was  a-thinking,"  said  Gipsy,  releas- 
ing her  ear,  and  rubbing  some  of  the  dust 
from  her  eyes,  "  a-thinking  (here  she  inter- 
posed a  yawn)  that  I  wouldn't  like  to  be 
a  brick  house  standing  so  close  to  a  rail- 
road, having  my  toes  run  over  every  other 
minute." 

Both  Stella  and  her  father  laughed  at 
this  reply — it  was  so  like  Gipsy — and  the 
three  were  wide  awake  again,  ready  to 
catch  what  glimpses  they  might  of  the 
passing  scenery. 

Onward  they  flew,  over  bridges,  under 
bridges,  through  deep  cuts,  and  by  smiling 
meadows,  and  even  through  pleasant  little 


30  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

towns,  where  the  houses  seemed  to  turn 
coquettishly  away,  as  if  they  said, 

"  Well,  yon  needn't  stop  if  you  don't 
want  to,  I'm  sure ; "  and  the  engine  would 
give  a  scornful  snort,  and  send  out  a  black 
flag  of  smoke  that  sailed  away,  and  away, 
until  it  all  went  to  pieces. 

It  Seemed  to  Gipsy  and  Stella  that  the 
trees,  the  rocks,  and  the  houses  were  hav- 
ing a  jolly  time  together,  winding  them- 
selves up  and  then  slowly  unwinding,  and 
getting  back  to  their  places  after  awhile. 
It  made  one  dizzy  to  look  at  them ;  and  as 
for  the  signs  along  the  road — why !  Gipsy 
declared  that  every  letter  in  them  was  as 
crazy  as  a  loon  ! 

But  I  can't  stop  to  tell  you  of  all  the 
funny  sights  they  saw  along  the  road :  how 
they  crossed  one  ferry,  and  then  took  a  car 
that  went  all  along  by  the  shipping,  which 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  31 

was  a  novelty  to  Stella,  seeing  the  great 
steamers  that  crossed  the  ocean ;  and  then 
taking  another  little  car  with  no  conduct- 
or, that  went  from  river  to  river,  passing 
by  Madison  Square,  which  fitted  into  one 
of  the  chapters  of  Gipsy's  life  in  New 
York. 

Over  the  East  river  they  must  go  to 
take  the  cars  to  Uncle  Nathan's,  and  by 
the  time  they  reached  the  other  side  and 
found  that  it  would  be  an  hour  or  two  be- 
fore the  train  started,  the  girls  were  so 
very  hungry  they  began  to  feel  quite 
homesick. 

The  nice  lunch  Aunt  Elsie  had  put  up 
for  them  tasted  so  good,  and  was  so  full  of 
associations  with  the  dear  home,  that  it 
was  as  much  as  Stella  could  do  to  get 
down  a  single  mouthful.  She  was  tired, 
and  it  seemed  really  as  if  she  must  have 


32  Gipsy's  Adveotukes. 

left  home  a  month  ago,  instead  of  only  a 
few  hours.  What  were  they  doing?  They 
were  all  so  close  to  her  heart  that  she 
could  hear  the  sound  of  her  mother's  voice, 
and  Frank's  lament  over  her  long  absence. 

Mr.  Good  enough  thought  he  would 
stroll  around  the  place,  and  see  what  there 
was  to  see,  and  Gipsy  really  wanted  to  ac- 
company him.  But  there  was  Stella,  too 
weak  to  go  any  further  now  that  she  had 
come  to  this  pause  in  her  journey. 

There  was  nothing  cosy  or  very  com- 
fortable about  the  room,  but  Gipsy  put 
the  water-proofs  and  shawls  in  a  corner, 
and  had  Stella  use  them  for  a  pillow,  and 
in  a  few  moments  the  poor  child  was  sound 
asleep,  and  Gipsy  was  the  one  to  feel 
lonely  and  homesick. 

She  wished  she  had  a  book,  or  any  thing 
that  would  occupy  her  thoughts,  so  that 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  33 

they  wouldn't  torment  her  by  going  back 
to  Philadelphia  in  the  way  they  did, 
when  their  ticket  had  been  bought  for 
Meterville.  They  ought  to  have  known 
better;  but  thoughts  are  such  contrary 
things ! 

It  seemed  an  age  since  Pa  Goodenough 
went  away,  although  it  was  only  ten  min- 
utes by  the  clock;  but  ten  minutes  in  a 
dingy  depot  with  no  one  to  speak  to  are 
not  like  the  same  number  spent  under 
pleasanter  circumstances. 

How  the  time  used  to  fly  when  she  and 
Tazie  Sherman  were  off  in  the  woods  hunt- 
ing for  winter-green  berries  !  and  how  soon 
it  was  dark  at  Niagara,  when  she  and 
"  Christopher  Columbus  " — for  she  could 
never  call  him  any  thing  else — were  dis- 
covering its  many  beauties ! 

She  was  tempted  two  or  three  times  to 


34  Gipsy's  Adyentuees. 

wake  Stella  up,  that  she  might  have  some 
one  to  speak  to.  It  was  worse  than  being 
lost,  a  great  deal  worse,  for  then  she  could 
keep  going. 

Presently  the  door  opened  to  admit  a 
poor  woman  who  had  more  baggage  than 
she  knew  how  to  manage.  It  amused 
Gipsy  to  see  how  she  maneuvered  with  it, 
and  how  many  steps  she  had  to  take,  back 
and  forth,  back  and  forth,  to  get  it  togeth- 
er. One  of  the  bundles  actually  began  to 
cry  !  and  Gipsy  tried  hard  to  smother  a 
laugh,  as  she  saw  the  look  of  distress  on 
the  mothers  face.  The  baby  screamed 
lustily,  and  all  the  trotting  in  the  world 
had  no  pacifying  effect. 

Gipsy  looked  at  Stella,  then  at  the  poor 
woman,  and  with  a  resolute  step  walked 
across  the  room  and  took  the  screaming 
child  from  its  mother's  arms. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  35 

"  Ah,  an'  bless  yer  bright  eyes ! "  ex- 
claimed the  astonished  woman.  "  It's  a 
big  lug  I've  got,  an'  Johnny's  a  bit  jealous, 
so  he  is,  for  he's  no  cry-baby ! " 

"I'll  tell  him  a  story,"  said  Gipsy, 
"  while  you  get  your  things  together." 

"The  Lord  bless  you,  miss!  an'  may 
yersel'  never  be  at  a  loss  for  the  loan  of  a 
helpin'  hand ! "  and  having  two  of  her 
own  that  she  could  use,  the  bundles  were 
gathered  into  something  like  ship-shape 
order,  and  took  up  much  less  room  than 
you  would  have  thought  had  you  seen 
them  scattered  about. 

The  funniest  kind  of  stories  came  into 
Gipsy's  head,  and  she  had  a  good  listener 
in  Johnny,  who  began  crowing  and  laugh- 
ing as  hard  as  he  had  been  crying  and 
screaming  a  few  moments  before. 

Stella   woke   up   very   much    refreshed 
5 


36  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

from  her  nice  little  nap,  and  when  Mr. 
Goodenough  returned  he  found  both  the 
girls  laughing  heartily  over  Johnny's  per- 
formances, while  his  mother  sat  not  very 
far  off  looking  just  as  proud  as  if  she  were 
Queen  Victoria,  and  Johnny  was  one  of 
the  royal  princes. 

"I  couldn't  help  it!"  said  Gipsy,  by 
way  of  explanation,  when  she  had  safely 
bestowed  Johnny  in  his  mother's  arms, 
and  been  made  the  recipient  of  a  real 
Irish  blessing,  warm  and  true  from  a  grate- 
ful heart  ;  "  I  couldn't  help  it !  " 

"It  wasn't  right  you  should.  I  want 
my  girls  to  feel  that  they  have  a  perfect 
right  to  do  what  their  heart  tells  them  is 
the  thing  to  be  done.  This  stopping  to 
think  whether  you'd  better  or  not,  or  if 
somebody  else  couldn't  do  it  just  as  well, 
is  what  takes  all  the  life  out  of  a  loving 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  37 

act.  I  wish  I'd  been  here  to  help  the  poor 
woman  with  her  baggage  !  " 

It  did  Gipsy  good  in  an  all-overish  kind 
of  way  to  have  Johnny  and  his  mother  so 
supremely  grateful,  and  to  have  her  impul- 
sive act  indorsed  by  Pa  Goodenough.  If 
a  little  helpfulness  brought  such  an  ex- 
ceeding great  reward,  what  must  be  the 
effect  of  good  deeds  done  on  a  larger 
scale  ? 

It  gave  her  something  pleasant  to  think 
of  all  the  way  to  Meterville,  and  when 
Johnny  and  his  mother  got  off  at  a  way 
station  there  they  were  waiting  to  nod  to 
Gipsy  as  her  car  passed  along,  and  even 
the  bundles  seemed  to  say  "good-bye,  and 
good  luck  to  ye,  miss ! " 

And  before  the  train  was  tinder  full 
headway,  Pa  Goodenough  wrote  on  a  slip 
of  paper  for  Gipsy  to  read-— 


38  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"Be  good,  my  child,  and  let  who  will  be  clever; 

Do  noble  deeds,  not  dream  them  all  day  long ; 
So  shall  life,  death,  and  that  vast  forever, 

Be  one  grand,  sweet  song !  " 

and  Gipsy  thought  that  "dream  corners" 
were,  after  all,  very  dangerous  places  to 
fall  into. 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  39 


CHAPTER  III. 

WHAT  a  queer  old  house  it  was 
where  Aunt  Hannah  and  Uncle 
Nathan  Terry  lived,  with  chimneys  and 
doors  in  such  strange  corners,  and  a  beauti- 
ful carpet  of  the  greenest  grass  spread  out 
in  front  of  it !  There  were  big  trees  close 
to  the  house,  and  a  shady  lane  that  was 
always  inviting  you  to  stroll  through  it, 
and  reminded  Gipsy  of  no  place  she  had 
ever  visited. 

It  was  solemnly  quiet,  so  that  you  could 
hear  noises  a  long  way  off,  and  for  the 
first  day  or  two — especially  after  they  had 
said  good-bye  to  Pa  Goodenough — the 
two  girls  were  rather  inclined  to  be  home- 
sick.    Every  thing  was  so  new  and  strange, 


40  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

and,  as  it  seemed  to  them,  so  far  away 
from  the  old  familiar  sights  and  sounds, 
that  they  would  have  been  very  unhappy 
had  they  not  each  other  for  company. 

"Do  the  steam-cars  go  all  day  and  all 
night  ? "  asked  Gipsy  of  Aunt  Hannah 
one  morning  when  they  were  together  in 
the  kitchen. 

"No,  child,  of  course  not.  You  can't 
hear  the  steam-cars." 

"  Yes  I  can,"  said  Gipsy.  "  I  hear  them 
all  the  time." 

"Then  I  guess  I'd  better  put  some 
sweet  oil  in  your  ears,  for  there's  a  sight 
of  deaf  people  around." 

"Why,  I'm  not  a  bit  deaf,  Aunt  Han- 
nah ! "  said  Gipsy,  with  a  very  positive  ex- 
pression.    "Am  I,  Stella ? " 

"  Mamma  says  her  ears  are  too  sharp," 
was  Stella's  reply. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  41 

"Hears  more  than  she  ought  to  hear? 
That's  a  bad  sign ! "  and  Aunt  Hannah 
gave  a  queer  little  chuckle.  She  was  very 
fleshy,  and  shook  when  she  laughed  as  if 
she  was  made  of  India  rubber,  and  as  Un- 
cle Nathan  was  almost  as  plump  and  quite 
as  jolly,  when  the  two  indulged  in  a 
hearty  laugh  the  old  house  fairly  shook, 
as  if  it  enjoyed  the  fan. 

"  I  hear  it  now  !  "  exclaimed  Gipsy,  step- 
ping to  the  front  door,  and  imitating  the 
rumble  of  the  approaching  train. 

"  So  do  I ! "  said  Stella.  "  O,  auntie,  it 
is  really ! " 

Aunt  Hannah  stepped  to  the  door,  and 
listened  with  her  best  ear.  Presently  a 
smile  stole  over  her  face,  then  she  began 
shaking,  and  by  the  time  she  was  under 
full  headway  of  laughter,  Gipsy  and  Stella 
were  ready  to  join  her,  although  they  had 


42  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

no  idea  what  it  was  they  were  laughing 
about. 

"  Isn't  it  ? "  asked  Gipsy. 

""Yes,"  said  Aunt  Hannah,  smothering  a 
laugh.  "  But  I'd  no  idea !  "  and  then  she 
stepped  to  the  back  door  and  called,  "  Na- 
than ! "  just  as  loud  as  she  could,  leaving 
the  girls  to  wonder  at  her  strange  actions. 

Then  there  was  a  whispering  time  at 
both  sides  of  the  house,  and  pretty  soon 
Aunt  Hannah  told  the  girls  to  put  on 
their  hats  and  sacks  and  prepare  to  fol- 
low Uncle  Nathan.  Stella  kept  hold  of 
his  hand  all  the  way  fearing  she  might 
get  lost,  but  Gipsy  traveled  twice  the  dis- 
tance by  running  ahead,  and  then  running 
back  to  tell  what  she  had  seen. 

But  when  they  actually  came  to  the 
water's  edge  and  were  helped  into  a  small 
boat,  and  from  that  into  a  skiff,  that  went 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  43 

dancing  along  like  a  thing  of  life,  both 
the  girls  were  too  much  astonished  to  do 
any  amount  of  talking. 

Gipsy  had  charge  of  the  tiller,  and  but 
for  that  might  have  felt  inclined  to  move 
about  in  the  boat  rather  more  than  was 
safe  or  desirable,  and  the  gliding  motion 
had  a  most  subduing  effect  upon  her. 

"  It's  most  like  flying,  isn't  it  ? "  she 
said,  appealing  to  Stella. 

"Yes,"  said  Stella,  "but  I  wish  it 
wouldn't  rock  so  like  a  cradle." 

"0,1  like  it!" 

"Gipsy,  the  rudder!"  exclaimed  Uncle 
Nathan,  for  in  listening  to  Stella  she  had 
forgotten  her  important  position.  "Do 
you  want  to  upset  us  ?  " 

"Could  I?" 

"  As  easy  as  wink !  I  thought  a  min- 
ute ago  that  we'd  all  be  overboard  ! " 


44  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"  O,  wouldn't  it  be  fun ! "  and  Gipsy 
actually  laughed  at  the  comical  picture 
presented  to  her  mind's  eye,  for  no 
thought  of  danger  entered  into  her  imag- 
ination. 

"  A  little  to  the  left.  There ! "  said  Un- 
cle Nathan,  continuing  his  directions  to 
Gipsy,  whom  he  styled  his  u  first  mate." 

"Now  keep  it  just  so,  and  no  fooling." 

That  made  Gipsy  laugh  again,  and  lifted 
the  serious  corner  of  Stella's  mouth,  and 
after  a  rapid  run  in  which  the  wind  tried 
its  best  to  upset  the  little  craft,  they  drew 
up  under  the  shelter  of  a  high  bank,  where 
there  was  not  much  grass,  but  more  sand 
than  Gij)sy  had  ever  seen. 

It  was  all  a  surprise  to  her  and  Stella, 
so  they  kept  close  to  Uncle  Nathan,  who, 
after  making  the  boat  fast  to  the  dock,  pre- 
pared to  ascend  the  hill. 


Gipsy's  Ad  ventures.  45 

u  It  singly  will ! "  said  Gipsy,  stepping 
with  all  her  weight  into  the  yielding  sand. 

"  Will  what,  nay  mate  ? "  inquired  Un- 
cle Nathan,  or  Captain  Terry,  as  he  was 
usually  designated  at  Meter ville. 

"  Let  us  through  to  China." 

"  Why  don't  you  walk  on  the  board, 
then,  as  I  do  % " 

"  O,  that's  no  fun  !  "  exclaimed  both  the 
girls;  and  they  kept  on  plowing  through 
the  sand,  sometimes  stopping  for  a  moment 
to  gather  a  quantity  in  their  hands,  that 
they  might  enjoy  the  fun  of  seeing  it  slip 
through  their  fingers.  So  absorbed  were 
they  in  this  occupation  that  they  quite  for- 
got Uncle  Nathan,  and  when  they -stood  on 
the  brow  of  the  hill  and  looked  off  on  an 
immense  expanse  of  water,  and  saw  the 
waves  crawling,  crawling,  along  the  beach 
as  if  they  were  hungry,  and  wanted  to  get 


46  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

at  something,  I  can't  tell  you  what  queer 
feelings  came  over  them. 

"Isn't  it  splendid!"  exclaimed  Gipsy, 
throwing  out  her  arms  as  if  she  would  em- 
brace the  scene.* 

"It's  aw-ful!"  said  Stella  reverently, 
the  color  all  fading  from  her  face.  "It 
seems  as  if  I  ought  to  kneel  right  down." 

"  It  don't  make  me  feel  that  way  at  all," 
said  Gipsy.  "It's  just  daring  us,  and  I 
want  to  go  and  fight  it.  Don't  you  hear 
it,  Stella  ?  It's  a-talking,  '  Come  on ;  come 
on ;  come  on ;  come  on ; '  and  then  it  says, 
1  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  hurrah  ! '  as  if  it  knew 
we  were  afraid  of  it  and  was  a-laughing  at 
us.     It — makes — me — feel — mad  !  " 

"It  makes  me  feel  solemn,"  said  Stella. 
"  Where  is  Uncle  Nathan  J  " 

"  May  be  he's  drowned,"  said  Gipsy  with 

*  See  Frontispiece. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  47 

as  little  concern  as  if  she  had  suggested 
something  very  commonplace;  but  hardly 
had  the  words  passed  her  lips  than  she  re- 
pented of  them. 

Stella  was  weak,  and  the  strong  salt 
air,  with  the  many  surprises,  set  her  to 
trembling  so  she  could  hardly  stand,  and 
it  only  needed  Gipsy's  careless  speech  to 
send  her  down  in  a  heap  upon  the  sand. 

Gipsy  was  frightened;  there  was  no 
help  near;  she  didn't  know  what  had  be- 
come of  Uncle  Nathan,  and  she  felt  more 
than  ever  like  fighting  the  waves  for  their 
tantalizing  laughter. 

She  ran  first  one  way  and  then  another, 
screamed  "  Uncle  Nathan  ! "  until  she  was 
hoarse,  and  was  just  about  as  wretched  as 
she  deserved  to  be.  Then  a  happy  thought 
struck  her,  and  running  to  the  shore  she 
dipped  her  handkerchief  in  the  water  and, 


48  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

running  as  hastily  back  again,  was  bathing 
Stella's  face,  when  Uncle  Nathan  appeared 
in  sight. 

"I  didn't  mean  it,  Stella,  you  know  1 
didn't!  It  was  awful  mean  of  you  to 
scare  me  half  to  death  !  "  she  exclaimed,  as 
soon  as  Stella  recovered  herself. 

"I  couldn't  help  it,"  said  Stella.  "I 
thought  it  might  be  true." 

"  And  I  was  just  going  to  pretend  I  was 
Robinson  Crusoe,  and  you  were  Good  Fri- 
day-" 

"  Not  Good  Friday,  Gipsy— just  Friday." 

"Well,  I  know  he  was  just  as  good 
as  could  be,"  said  Gipsy,  with  her  eyes 
a-twinkle,  as  she  reached  out  for  a  clam- 
shell and  began  digging  holes  in  the 
soft,  smooth  sand.  "But  it  don't  sound 
as  nice  as  Good  Friday.  And  now  we 
can't." 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  49 

"  Can't  what  \ " 

Can't  be  Robinson  Crusoe,  'cause  we 
aint  on  a  desert  island  any  more,  and  I'm 
as  hungry  as  two  bears !  I'm  afraid  I'll 
want  to  bite  a  piece  out  of  Uncle  Na- 
than ! " 

"What's  that?"  inquired  Captain  Ter- 
ry as  he  came  up  to  where  the  girls  were 
sitting,  or  rather  reclining  in  lazy  attitudes. 

He  had  a  handkerchief  tied  over  his 
head,  and  was  carrying  his  broad  brimmed 
hat  as  carefully  as  if  it  contained  a  cargo 
of  eggs. 

"  I'm  so  hungry  ! "  said  Gipsy. 

"  I'm  so  thirsty ! "  said  Stella,  each  dig- 
ging as  diligently  as  if  they  hoped  to  find 
both  food  and  drink  somewhere  under- 
ground. 

"  Out  of  provisions  already  !  You'll  be 
wanting  to  eat  the  captain  soon,  and  I'll 


50  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

put  you  in  chains  for  thinking  of  mutiny ! 
Here,  empty  my  hat  so  I  wont  get  blacker 
than  an  Injun,  and  we'll  begin  to  start  on 
the  homeward  tack." 

The  hat  was  filled  with  blackberries, 
the  sweetest  and  best  the  girls  had  ever 
tasted,  for  they  came  so  in  the  nick  of 
time  satisfying  the  cravings  of  hunger  and 
thirst. 

"Where  did  you  get  them?"  asked 
Gipsy.  "I  thought  nothing  grew  around 
here  but  clam-shells  and  sand." 

"There's  plenty  of  them;  but  these 
took  root  on  the  bay  shore,  and  I  won- 
dered you  didn't  come  after  me  when  I 
called  you." 

"  Called  us !  "  exclaimed  both  the  girls. 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  but  the  sea  was  in  your 
ears,  and  the  sand  was  in  your  eyes — " 

<c  And  when  not  a  body  hears,  then  no- 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  51 

body  replies,"  said  Gipsy,  catching  the 
rhythm  of  the  sentence. 

"My  goodness!"  exclaimed  Uncle  Na- 
than, settling  his  hat  on  his  head  as  if 
he  meant  it  to  stay  there  for  some  time. 
"  My  goodness  !  did  I  do  that  ?  " 

"Do  what?"  asked  Stella. 

"Make  a  verse." 

"I  wasn't  listening;  but  Gipsy  does — 
she  can't  help  it  sometimes." 

"  H'm,"  sniffed  Uncle  Nathan,  rather  in- 
credulously, "  I've  heerd  of  such  folks,  but 
they  don't  amount  to  much  I  reckon." 

They  were  strolling  along  the  beach,  as 
near  the  water  as  they  dared,  dodging  the 
waves  that  dashed  up  to  lick  their  feet  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  taking  them  by  surprise. 

"Well,  Gipsy,"  said  Uncle  Nathan, 
pausing  in  his  walk;  "  what  do  you  think 

of  the  everlasting  engine  \  " 

1 


52  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

"  I  haven't  seen  it.  Does  it  go  on  for- 
ever-'n-ever-arnen  %  V 

"Just  so,"  was  Uncle  Nathan's  reply 
as  he  watched  the  expression  of  Gipsy's 
face.     She  was  beginning  to  grow  solemn. 

"  Where  is  it  ?     Why  can't  we  see  it ! " 

"  You  are  looking  at  it  now." 

"This  % "  inquired  Gipsy,  giving  her  hand 
a  significant  flourish. 

"Sartin  sure." 

An  intensely  thoughtful  look  spread  over 
the  girl's  face,  an  effort  to  reconcile  the  thing 
she  saw  with  what  she  had  imagined,  and 
it  was  only  by  shutting  out  the  scene  be- 
fore her  that  she  could  comprehend  its 
mysterious  meaning. 

The  noises  she  had  heard  in  the  night, 
and  through  the  pauses  of  the  day — for  it 
does  seem  as  if  there  were  spaces  left  be- 
tween the  hours  of  the  busiest  day,  through 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  53 

which  we  have  glimpses  of  invisible  things, 
and  catch  the  echo  of  celestial  harmonies — 
were  unlike  these  that  met  her  ear. 

Those  she  could  liken  to  something,  for 
her  fancy  had  fall  play,  but  these  were  com- 
plicated and  confusing.  They  called  and 
intreated,  then  scolded  and  mocked ;  howled 
like  a  hundred  demons,  and  then  spoke  as 
peacefully  as  an  angel,  one  moment  inspir- 
ing love,  and  the  next  exciting  fear. 

"  I  don't  believe  I  know  just  what  it  does 
say,"  Gipsy  murmured.  "  I  don't  believe 
any  body  does ;  but  I  want  to  awful  bad, 
so 's  I  can  answer  back ! " 

She  is  not  the  only  person  who  has  longed 
to  interpret  the  voices  of  the  sea ;  to  know 
what  birds  and  bees,  brooks  and  trees,  are 
whispering  about,  and  to  have  a  more  in- 
timate acquaintance  with  the  sign-language 
of  all  dumb  creatures, 


54  Gipsy's  Adventures. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GIPSY  was  startled  from  her  revery 
by  a  sudden  and  prolonged  cry  of 
"Ship  ahoy!"  and  turning  around  saw- 
that  Uncle  Nathan  and  Stella  were  far  along 
the  beach  where  what  appeared  like  the 
backbone  of  an  immense  whale,  or  the 
runner  of  a  giant's  skate,  was  firmly  im- 
bedded in  the  sand. 

"  What  is  it  ?  What  is  it  ? "  exclaimed 
Gipsy,  beginning  her  questions  as  soon  as 
she  began  to  run,  and  in  her  haste  and  im- 
patience losing  breath  very  fast.  "  Where 
did  it  come  from  ?  who  brought  it  ?  and 
what's  it  doing  here  ? "  she  gasped,  making 
one  interrogation  do  duty  for  three. 

"From   England,  the   captain  going  to 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  55 

ruin-as-fast-as-it-can-heigh-yo ! "  answered 
Uncle  Nathan,  imitating  Gipsy's  manner, 
and  ending  in  a  broadside  of  laughter,  in 
which  both  the  girls  joined  heartily. 

"Wont  you  tell  us  about  it?"  asked 
Stella  when  the  mirth  had  subsided. 

"O  do ! "  exclaimed  Gipsy,  for  whom  a 
story  of  the  sea  had  a  most  inviting  flavor 
as  she  settled  herself  comfortably  on  the 
log  that  made  a  convenient  sofa,  Uncle 
Nathan  and   Stella  following  her  example. 

"If  we  had  a  map  here,"  said  Uncle 
Nathan,  "  I  could  show  you  how  this  strip 
of  land  pokes  its  finger  out  into  the  ocean, 
as  if  it  only  wanted  a  good  chance  to  seize 
every  thing  that  came  within  reach.  That 
ere  ship  was  the  "  Franklin,"  and  one  lovely 
day,  just  a  trifle  after  noon,  she  drove  head 
first  on  the  beach,  and  brought  every  thing 
a-standing.      It  was  something  to  see,  I 


56  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

tell  you,  and  it  wasn't  but  a  few  hours 
before  the  folks  from  all  about  here  were 
down  on  the  beach  as  thick  as  blackberries. 
Lots  of  people  were  frightened,  but  nobody 
was  hurt,  and  the  passengers  went  their 
ways,  as  soon  as  they  could  find  out  where 
they  were  and  got  over  their  first  scare. 

"  They  had  just  been  to  dinner,  and  there 
were  the  dishes,  just  as  they  had  eaten  off 
on  'em  :  every  thing  had  to  be  left  just  so, 
except  what  the  passengers  owned. 

"That's  the  Government  house  over 
there,"  said  Uncle  Nathan,  pointing  to  a 
large  red  structure ;  "  and  the  agents  tried 
to  protect  the  property ;  but,  law  me  !  the 
wreckers  dodged  'em  all  the  time,  and 
picked  up  any  quantity  of  things.  They 
didn't  call  it  stealing." 

"But  it  was  stealing,  wasn't  it?"  said 
Gipsy. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  57 

"  Mighty  like  it.  How  they  could  live 
in  the  same  house  with  them  things  and 
not  be  stung  to  death,  puzzles  me  ! " 

"  Why,"  said  Gipsy, "  was  it  full  of  rattle- 
snakes and  bumble  bees  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  so,"  was  the  reply.  "  If 
you  take  any  thing  that  don't  belong  to 
you,  isn't  it  worse  for  stinging  than  either 
of  those?" 

u  I  don't  know,"  said  Stella. 

u  I  never  did,"  said  Gipsy  quickly  ;  and 
then  a  sudden  wave  of  memory  carried  her 
back  to  Mrs.  Webb's,  and  an  unhappy  ex- 
perience she  had  almost  entirely  forgotten. 
The  blood  mounted  to  her  face ;  she  had 
not  meant  to  tell  a  lie,  to  pretend  she  had 
never  been  tempted,  and  if  she  could  have 
buried  her  confusion  and  shame  under  the 
sand,  or  the  sea,  she  would  have  been  glad 
to  do  it.     She  meant  to  explain,  but  she 


58  Gipsy's  Adventttkes. 

couldn't,  for  her  tongue  seemed  to  have 
stuck  fast  to  the  roof  of  her  mouth. 

"It's  awful,"  continued  Uncle  Nathan, 
not  noticing  her  distress,  "  if  any  one's 
been  tempted  to  do  wrong  and  is  mighty 
sorry  for  it.  My,  how  it  does  sting !  worse 
than  a  rattlesnake !  hotter  than  a  bumble 
bee !     I  guess  so !  " 

"  Did  you  ever  ? "  Gipsy  ventured  to  in- 
quire. 

"Yes,  indeed,  when  I  was  a  boy,  and 
that's  the  reason  I  couldn't  make  a  business 
of  it,  as  these  wreckers  do." 

That  big  man  had  been  tempted,  and 
knew  all  about  the  horrible  feelings  of  a 
sinner.  Why,  it  made  Gipsy  nestle  up 
closer  to  him,  and  even  rest  her  hand  on 
his  knee,  feeling  confident  that  he  under- 
stood her  nature  better  than  any  one  she 
had  ever  met.     He  wasn't  ashamed  to  con- 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  59 

fess  his  guilt,  either;  and,  perhaps,  when 
she  was  a  big  woman  she  might  think  of 
her  early  errors  in  the  same  way,  and  look 
back  at  them  as  Uncle  Nathan  did. 

"  This  was  a  regular  picnic-ground  for 
a  long  while/'  continued  Uncle  Nathan, 
"  people  coming  from  far  and  near  to  bathe 
in  the  surf,  eat  their  dinners,  and  have  a 
good  time  on  board  the  '  Franklin  ! '  But 
the  swash  of  the  waves  wore  away  the 
timbers,  and  she  soon  began  to  look  like  a 
huge  skeleton,  her  ribs  all  bare  of  flesh ; 
and  now  this  is  all  there  is  left  of  the  once 
mighty  vessel.  It  always  makes  me  a  lit- 
tle sad  to  think  of  her  fate,  and  a  little 
mad  when  I  think  it  might  have  been 
avoid  ed." 

"  Wasn't  it  an  accident  I "  inquired  Gipsy  ; 
while  Stella  added,  "I  thought  all  wrecks 
were  accidents." 


60  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"  They  ought  to  be,"  said  Uncle  Nathan, 
"  but  I'm  afraid  they  a'n't  always.  Least- 
ways suspicion  was  sot  afloat  by  this  af- 
fair, 'cause  it  seemed  so  onreasonable  that 
a  captain  as  knew  his  business  should  lose 
reckoning  and  knock  his  brains  out  in 
broad  daylight." 

"  Did  he  really  ! "  asked  Stella,  who  did 
not  always  see  clearly  through  a  figure  of 
speech. 

"  Amounted  to  the  same  thing,  for  if  he 
wasn't  dead  as  a  man,  he  was  surely  good 
for  nothing  as  a  captain,  for  who'd  want 
to  cross  the  ocean  with  a  man  who  didn't 
study  his  chart  close  enough  to  know  where 
lie  was  going.  That  ere  ship's  been  made 
the  text  of  many  a  sermon ;  but  I'm  afraid 
Aunt  Hannah  '11  be  preaching  to  us  if  we 
stay  here  much  longer.  Heave  ho,  my 
mates !  "  and  with  something  of  a  struggle, 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  61 

for  the  seat  was  low,  and  the  sand  uncer- 
tain, the  cheerful  captain  started  with  his 
young  companions. 

The  breeze  that  had  sent  them  flying 
over  the  bay  in  the  early  morning  had 
died  down,  and  was  not  to  be  coaxed  into 
life  by  any  amount  of  whistling,  although 
the  captain  and  Gipsy  did  their  very  best. 
Indeed,  I  am  not  sure  but  that  the  first 
mate  excelled  her  superior  officer,  it  was 
such  a  splendid  opportunity  to  exhibit  her 
skill,  and  get  rid  of  any  superfluous  emo- 
tion. It  was  "Major  Murphy's"  safety- 
valve  you  may  remember. 

It  was  hard  work  tacking  across  the 
bay,  and  neither  Gipsy  nor  Stella  enjoyed 
it  very  much,  and  it  was  doubtful  if  the 
captain  would  have  chosen  that  mode  of 
progress  if  his  opinion  had  been  asked. 
He  was   Aunt   Elsie's   brother,    and    was 


62  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

quite  as  ready  as  she  with  a  maxini  to  suit 
the  occasion,  and  this  time  he  sang,  as  if  to 
console  himself, 

"  What  can't  be  cured,  love, 
Must  be  endured,  love  !  " 

and  right  in  the  midst  of  it  would  shout 
"  Tack ! "  as  if  he  were  stretching  a  carpet, 
and  Gipsy  and  Stella  held  the  hammer 
and  nails.  Then  over  would  go  the  bow- 
sprit, accompanied  by  the  rattle,  rattle,  rat- 
tle of  the  rope  through  the  pulleys,  the 
boat  would  give  a  lurch,  and  the  captain 
pipe  more  lustily  than  ever  with  a  prefa- 
tory 

"  O !  woe,  woe,  woe, 
What  can't  be  cured,  love, 
Must  be  endured,  love  !  " 

and  the  girls  thought  it  was  "woe"-ful 
enough,  they  were  so  hungry  and  tired. 
Thoughtful    Aunt  Hannah   had  sent   the 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  63 

hired  man  down  to  the  shore  with  a 
wagon,  and  had  snch  a  nice  dinner  wait- 
ing for  them  at  the  house,  that  they  were 
much  refreshed,  and  if  any  one  had  pro- 
posed going  on  a  beach  party  that  same 
afternoon,  neither  Gipsy  nor  Stella  would 
have  been  left  behind. 

Indeed,  they  rather  looked  forward  to 
having  just  such  times  as  Uncle  Nathan 
had  told  about,  although  there  was  no  ship 
wrecked  on  the  sand  for  them  to  run  over 
and  investigate. 

Any  thing  new  was  sure  to  be  interest- 
ing, and  a  beach  party  was  something  so 
novel  that  Gipsy  threatened  to  get  up  one 
immediately,  and  all  by  herself,  if  no  one 
else  moved  in  that  direction. 

It  took  the  girls  nearly  all  the  afternoon 
to  w7rite  to  Frank  of  their  doings  in  the 
morning,  and  if  he  and  Beauty  had  only 


64  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

been  at  Meterville,  I  don't  think  the  house 
would  have  held  them  for  any  length  of 
time.  As  it  was  they  only  used  it  for  a 
rainy-day  shelter,  just  as  if  it  were  a  big 
umbrella,  and  all  Gipsy's  boyish  instincts 
revived  under  the  combined  influence  of 
salt  air  and  unlimited  freedom. 

Even  Stella  lost  a  great  deal  of  her  tim- 
idity, and  although  no  match  for  Gipsy, 
was  more  ready  than  she  had  ever  been  to 
share  in  her  follies  and  frolics. 

One  clay  when  Aunt  Hannah  was  terri- 
bly busy  in  the  house,  Uncle  Nathan  quite 
as  busy  in  the  barn,  and  nothing  spe- 
cial going  on  outdoors,  Gipsy  revealed  to 
Stella  a  plan  that  had  been  fidgeting  her 
brain  for  several  days. 

It  was  splendid ! 

Nobody  proposed  a  picnic,  and  so  they 
would  have  one  of  their  own  ! 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  65 

They  had  free  access  to  the  buttery,  and 
filling  their  pockets  with  cookies  started  off 
toward  the  shore,  where  Gipsy  immediately 
began  untying  the  "  donkey." 

This  "  donkey  "  was  a  flat-bottomed  boat 
with  square  ends,  so  that  it  would  go  one 
way  just  as  well  as  another,  and  was  pro- 
pelled by  a  long  pole.  It  was  used  by 
Uncle  Nathan  as  a  floating  bridge  from 
the  dock  to  the  white  skiff u  Gracie,"  that 
was  anchored  out  in  deeper  water. 

"  Aint  you  afraid  ? "  asked  Stella,  as  she 
hesitated  a  moment  before  stepping  into 
the  boat. 

"  Afraid  ! "  said  Gipsy  scornfully.  "  Did 
you  ever  know  me  to  be  afraid  of  anything, 
Miss  Goody  Two  Shoes  \  We  aint  going 
far — just  around  that  corner,  where  Gipsy 
Warner  can  go  just  as  easy  as  any  body. 
If  you  don't  go  I'll  go  alone ! ?' 


66  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

That  decided  Stella,  and  in  a  moment  or 
two  Gipsy  was  using  the  pole  quite  skill- 
fully for  one  who  had  never  had  any  prac- 
tice in  that  line. 

"  Isn't  it  lovely ! "  she  exclaimed  now 
and  then,  and  Stella,  with  nothing  to  do  but 
enjoy  the  scene,  and  the  soft  gliding — no, 
the  rather  jerky  motion — of  the  boat,  echoed 
"  lovely,"  and  "  splendid,"  and  all  the  other 
adjectives  with  which  Gipsy  was  wont  to 
adorn  her  talk. 

"  Don't  you  want  to  push  ? "  asked  Gipsy, 
when  she  had  worked  the  craft  a  consider- 
able distance  along  the  shore. 

"  O,  I'd  like  to  ever  so  much !  "  said 
Stella,  and  so  they  changed  places;  but 
Gipsy  soon  grew  discontented  and  critical, 
as  was  usually  the  case  when  she  was  not 
busy.  As  she  wasn't  doing  the  work  she 
felt  called  upon  to  give  orders,  and  so  con- 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  67 

fused  Stella  that  she  didn't  do  nearly  as 
well  as  she  might  if  Gipsy  had  remained 
quiet. 

Finally  the  pole  stuck  in  the  mud,  and 
the  more  Stella  pulled  the  deeper  it  seemed 
to  go  down. 

"  I  can't  budge  the  old  thing !  Gipsy, 
you  try,  wont  you  ? " 

Gipsy  took  hold  with  such  force  that 
the  pole  sprung,  the  boat  lurched,  and  she- 
was  obliged  to  let  go  in  order  to  escape  a 
tumble  into  the  water.  When  things  were 
righted,  there  was  that  horrible  pole  stand- 
ing up  straight  and  stiff  at  least  two  feet 
beyond  their  reach  ! 

Gipsy  made  faces  at  it,  while  Stella  hung 

desperately  to  the  u  donkey,"  not  knowing 

what  trick  it  might  be  getting  ready  to 

perform,  and  wishing  with  all  her  heart 

that  she  was  safe  on  dry  land. 
9 


68  Gipsy's  Adveotukes. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  Gipsy  ? V 
she  inquired  with  an  unsteady  voice. 

"Well,  I  was  just  a-going  to  holler," 
was  the  reply. 

"  Can  you  ? " 

"Of  course  I  can,  louder  than  ever.  I 
just  wish  you  hadn't  touched  the  pole, 
Stella." 

"  I  didn't  want  to." 

"  O,  Stella  Goodenough !  you  said  you 
did,  and  I  let  you,  so's  you  might  see  how 
easy  it  was ! " 

"Did  I?"  said  Stella;  "I'm  so  shaky  I 
can't  remember  any  thing.  Don't  you  feel 
solemn,  Gipsy  \ " 

"I  thought  I  did  a  minute  ago  when 
that  pole  gave  me  such  a  jerk,  and  I  nearly 
went  head  over  heels.  I  never  did  feel  so 
kind  o'  flipity  flop,  but — why,  Stella,  just 
look  where  we  are  ! "  and  the  shore  seemed 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  69 

to  be  going  away  from  them,  there  was  no 
help  in  sight,  and  no  one  knew  where  they 
were !  Stella  began  to  cry,  and  even  Gip- 
sy lost  considerable  of  her  courage. 

She  was  getting  disgusted  with  picnics, 
for  every  one  she  had  planned  always 
ended  in  some  such  unpleasant  way,  and 
spoiled  all  the  fun. 

"  I  think  it's  queer  !  "  she  observed,  after 
a  pause  in  which  both  she  and  Stella  had 
grown  calmer,  seeing  no  immediate  clan- 
ger of  an  upset.  "  I  think  it's  queer ! 
The  captain  of  the  l  Franklin '  went  ashore 
when  he  didn't  want  to,  and  we  can't  come 
anyways  near  it." 

"  Well,  he  lost  his  reck'ning,  Uncle  Na- 
than said,"  remarked  Stella. 

"  And  we  lost  our  pole,  and  I  reckon 
that's  worse  for  us  poor  sailors." 


70  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 


CHAPTER  V. 

UNCLE  NATHAN  came  in  to  dinner 
with  a  merry  thought  twinkling  in 
his  eye. 

"  Where  are  the  girls  \ "  he  inquired,  as 
he  stood  at  the  sink  sousing  his  head  and 
face  in  the  cool  water. 

"  I  thought  they  were  with  you !  "  ex- 
claimed Aunt  Hannah,  brought  to  a  full 
stop  with  a  dish  of  steaming  potatoes  in 
her  hand.  "  They  aint  nowhere  around 
the  house ! " 

"  I  wonder ! "  said  Uncle  Nathan,  mak- 
ing an  exclamation  point  with  the  dipper. 
"  O,  well,  they're  up  the  lane,  probably,  or 
over  to  the  Leshers!  They'll  be  along 
presently." 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  71 

"  I — don't — know,"  said  Aunt  Hannah 
very  deliberately,  setting  the  dish  in  its 
place  on  the  table.  "  I  don't  know.  Stella 
wouldn't  go  astray,  but  that  Gipsy  can  no 
more  help  wandering  off  than  if  she'd  been 
born  and  brought  up  in  the  woods — same 
as  other  gipsies." 

"That's  so  !  "  was  the  response. 

"  But  there's  no  need  o'  worrying.  Gip- 
sy can  take  care  of  herself,  and  she's  likely 
to  look  after  Stella." 

Still,  Aunt  Hannah  felt  anxious  and 
could  eat  but  little,  and  when  it  came  two 
and  three  o'clock,  and  they  did  not  make 
their  appearance,  she  locked  the  house  and 
went  over  to  Mrs.  Lesher's. 

They  had  not  crossed  the  creek  or  she 
would  have  seen  them,  and  her  men  folks 
were  working  in  the  garden. 

"  I  can't  be  easy,"  said  Mrs.  Terry ;  "  Gipsy 


<T2  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

is  such  a  wild  harum-scarum  sort  of  a  girl 
she'd  be  sure  to  get  iuto  some  mischief." 

"  And  get  out  of  it  just  as  easy,"  said 
Mrs.  Lesher.  "  Those  kind  o'  folks  always 
do.  I  wouldn't  worry;  you  know  the 
Lord  '11  watch  over  'em." 

"  Yes ;  but  I  feel  as  if  I  must  be  doing 
something  to  help.  The  trouble  is,  I  don't 
know  whether  they're  gone  into  the  village 
or  down  to  the  shore." 

"  Mr.  Lesher  and  Dick  are  working  on 
the  salt  meadows,  and  we  might  go  down 
and  .  ask  'em  if  they've  seen  any  thing. 
That'll  give  the  greatest  relief." 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Aunt  Hannah, 
thinking  it  would  be  a  greater  relief  to  find 
them  on  dry  land.  "But  we  can  inquire, 
at  all  events." 

Mr.  Lesher  and  Dick  had  hardly  got 
to  work  on  the  salt  meadow,  before  their 


Gipsy's  Adventuees.  73 

attention  was  attracted  to  a  singular  object 
on  the  bay. 

"  Father,"  exclaimed  Dick,  leaning  on 
his  rake,  and  looking  anxiously  from  the 
land,  "there's  a  donkey  adrift  as  sure  as 
you're  alive ! " 

"  It  can't  be.  ~No  one  would  be  such  a 
fool." 

"There's  two  of  'em,"  continued  Dick. 
"  And,  Thomas  Jefferson  !  they're  those  two 
girls  over  at  Captain  Terry's  !  " 

In  a  second  Dick's  legs — good  long  ones 
they  were,  too — were  flying  over  the 
ground  in  the  direction  of  Captain  Terry's. 
Never  was  the  anchor  of  the  "Gracie" 
lifted  quite  so  rapidly,  or  her  sail  let  out 
so  suddenly,  as  on  that  occasion ;  and,  as  if 
she  knew  her  errand,  the  light  skiff  flew 
like  a  sea-gull  over  the  water,  bearing 
hope  and  joy  to  two  wildly  beating  hearts. 


74  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  Stella  had  asked 
for  about  the  twentieth  time. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Gipsy,  who  had 
settled  into  stolid  indifference  for  want  of 
material  for  her  genius  to  work  upon. 
"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  except  we  stop 
breathing.  It  seems  as  if  every  breath 
I  drew  was  like  a  big  bellows  that  blew 
us  farther  from  the  shore." 

"  Have  you  prayed  \ "  asked  Stella. 

"  May  be  so,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I've  said  over  and  over  again,  '  Lord, 
save  or  we  perish ! '  and  I  think  he  means 
to — if — if — we  give  him  time." 

"  I  aint  a  bit  patient,"  said  Gipsy,  "  not 
one  bit;  and,  Stella,  I've  been  down  under 
that  water  more'n  sixty  times." 

"  Oh,  Gipsy  ! "  and  a  visible  shudder 
passed  over  poor  Stella. 

"You   needn't  believe  me  if  you  don't 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  75 

want  to — but  the  water  ran  into  ray  ears, 
and  the  fishes  swam  all  around  me — " 

"  O  don't,"  interrupted  Stella,  "  you  im- 
agine it,  of  course.  Let  us  shut  our  eyes, 
Gipsy,  and  be  perfectly  still." 

"  Perfectly  still !  "  exclaimed  Gipsy  with, 
considerable  irritation  in  her  voice.  ltI 
never  sat  still  so  long  in  all  my  born  days  ! 
I'm  all  cramped  up  like  a  spider,  and  don't 
believe  I  can  ever  be  straightened  out." 

"I  wouldn't  care  for  that,"  said  Stella. 
" 1  keep  thinking  of  dear  pa  and  ma,  and 
Paulie  and  Frank,  and  the  rest  of  the  folks 
—how  bad  they'll  feel." 

"  Well,  I  haven't  any  folks  to  think  of, 

and  so  I  keep  thinking  about  myself  all 

the  time — trying  experiments,  and  going 

through  all  sorts  of  horrible  things.     I'm 

sure  I  don't  want  to,  but  that  other  Gipsy, 

the  torment  of  ray  life,  is  having  fun  !  " 
10 


76  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"  O,  Gipsy,  you  ought  to  be  more  seri- 
ous !     Think  of  our  situation,"  said  Stella. 

"  T  wish  I  could  think  of  any  thing  else," 
was  the  doleful  reply. 

"  Let  us  shut  our  eyes,"  Stella  again  sug- 
gested, "  and  hold  a  silent  prayer-meeting." 

"You  always  propose  such  strange 
things  !  May  be  there's  no  need,  for  if  we 
keep  on  we'll  soon  bump  on  that  other 
shore,  and  then  we're  all  right." 

"But  we  ought  to  pray  real  hard,  Gipsy; 
may  be  God  put  us  in  this  place  for  that 
very  purpose.  Mamma  would  say  so,  and 
she  says  praying  brings  comfort,  and  that's 
always  a  help." 

It  almost  seemed  as  if  Aunt  Elsie  her- 
self was  speaking  through  the  lips  of  the 
dear  child  whom  she  had  taught  so  faith- 
fully. 

"  Shall  we  begin  now  \ "  asked  Gipsy, 


Gipsy's  Adventup.es.  79 

as  docile  as  if  Aunt  Elsie  had  made  the 
request,  her  mind  flitting  like  a  bird  to 
every  incident  of  her  life  wherein  the 
thought  of  fatherly  care  had  been  most 
prominent.     "  Shall  we  begin  now  ? " 

"Eight  away,"  said  Stella;  and  with 
clasped  hands  and  closed  eyes  the  two  girls 
engaged  in  silent  prayer,  and  the  little 
boat  became  a  floating  Bethel. 

When  they  came  from  behind  the  vail 
— for  prayer  is  but  the  drawing  around  us 
of  a  curtain  that  shuts  out  the  world — ■ 
Gipsy  was  the  first  to  spy  the  "  Gracie " 
bounding  toward  them,  and  neither  she 
nor  Stella  could  keep  back  the  tears. 

"  He  heard  us,"  said  Stella,  very  quietly, 
but  with  a  shining  face. 

"I  wish  we'd  asked  him  before,"  said 
Gipsy,  "and  saved  ourselves  all  this  anxi- 
ety, and  other  things" — the  other  things 


80  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

comprising  Lunger,  thirst,  impatience,  rest- 
lessness, and  the  thousand  fears  that  would 
be  likely  to  distress  any  one  in  their  pre- 
dicament. 

"  I  guess  He  meant  we  should  ask  just 
when  we  did.  I  tried  to  do  the  errand 
alone,  but  He  wanted  you  to  come  with 
me." 

Gipsy  had  her  eyes  fixed  intently  on  the 
"Grade,"  and  it  may  be  she  did  not  hear 
Stella's  brief  and,  to  her,  satisfactory  ex- 
planation of  the  delay.  She  was  always 
on  her  guard  lest  any  one  should  discover 
the  deep  feelings  of  her  heart,  and  only  by 
some  little  blossom  of  grace  could  those 
who  loved  her  detect  the  seed  that  had 
taken  root  in  her  heart. 

Mr.  Lesher  was  astonished  when  his  wife 
and  Aunt  Hannah  came  down  to  the 
meadow  where   he   was  at  work,  for  he 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  81 

supposed  that  Dick  had  stopped  at  the 
house  on  his  way  to  the  dock. 

"  They're  all  right  now,"  he  said,  after 
telling  them  of  Dick's  discovery,  "  and  it 
was  mighty  lucky  we  came  down  here  to 
work  this  afternoon.  No  telling  what 
might  have  become  of  'em,  for  it's  such  busy 
times  no  one  has  a  chance  to  sail  on  the 
bay." 

Mrs.  Terry  couldn't  tell  exactly  how  she 
did  get  home;  she  was  too  stout  to  run 
very  fast,  and  if  any  body  had  said  her 
heart  was  bigger  than  her  body,  she  would 
have  believed  them,  although  in  a  different 
sense  from  what  they  intended. 

Gipsy  and  Stella  fairly  tumbled  into 
the  skiff  when  Dick  Lesher  swung  the 
"Gracie"  close  up  to  the  miserable 
"donkey,"  for  they  were  both  so  cramped 
with  sitting  so  long  in  one  position  that 


82  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

they  hardly  knew  which  way  to  move ;  and 
as  for  knees,  or  toes  ! — why,  they  must 
have  slipped  overboard. 

"  How  did  it  happen  % "  asked  Dick, 
after  settling  the  girls  and  attaching  the 
"  donkey." 

"  I  thought  it  was  easy  enough  to  poke 
around  shore,"  said  Gipsy,  perfectly  will- 
ing to  assume  the  responsibility  of  the  trip, 
although  she  couldn't  help  but  feel  that 
Stella  was  somewhat  to  blame  for  its  end- 
ing so  disastrously. 

"  It's  a  good  deal  easier  to  poke  off,"  said 
Dick.  "  Do  you  know  any  thing  about  a 
boat?" 

"  No,  and  I  don't  want  to  know  any 
more  about  this  one,"  she  answered  spite- 
fully. "  We've  been  quite  long  enough 
acquainted.     But  this  is  splendid  !  " 

"  It  wouldn't  be  as  splendid  as  the  '  don- 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  83 

key' — for    you,"    he    added    significantly. 
"  Perhaps  you  don't  know  that 

" '  Little  boats  should  keep  near  shore, 
But  larger  ships  may  venture  more.'  " 

"  I'll  remember  that !  "  said  Gipsy ;  "  but 
I  did  want  to  go  on  a  picnic  so  bad,"  she 
added,  by  way  of  excuse  for  her  rashness. 

u  Well,  this  will  last  you  some  time,  I 
think ;  perhaps  you'll  never  want  to  go  on 
another." 

"  O  yes,  I  will — a  nice  one !  but  I'll 
never  get  up  another  all  by  myself.  I  did 
once,  and  Tazie  Sherman  liked  to  have 
been  killed,  and  Stella  might  have  been 
drowned  in  this  one,  and  then  I'd  never 
want  to  hear  of  a  picnic  as  long  as  I  lived." 

"  I  suppose  not.  There  isn't  much  fun 
in  going  to  a  picnic  unless  there's  a  good 
party,  and  it  takes  some  little  time  to  get 
one  up.    It'll  be  something  for  you  to  see." 


84  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

So  the  i  edge  was  taken  off  this  disap- 
pointment by  the  promise  of  something 
better ;  for  Dick  hinted  that  a  beach  party 
might  be  gotten  up,  and  they  might  be  in- 
vited to  go. 

Aunt  Hannah  was  out  on  the  lawn,  out- 
side the  front  gate,  ready  to  meet  the  wan- 
derers on  their  return. 

Not  a  word  of  reproof,  not  a  syllable  of 
blame;  nothing  but  kisses  moist  with 
tears,  and  generous  embraces  ! 

To  press  on  Gipsy's  heart  with  these 
things  was  to  send  up  contrition,  confes- 
sion, and  a  host  of  good  resolutions,  just  as 
when  you  press  a  lemon  leaf  it  emits  a  fra- 
grant perfume. 

Pretty  soon  Uncle  Nathan  came  in,  rub- 
bing his  hands,  and  saying,  "I  wonder!" 
and  then  taking  Gipsy  and  Stella  on  either 
knee,  looked  first  at  one  and  then  at  the 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  85 

other,  as  if  some  strange  transformation  had 
taken  place  during  their  absence. 

"It  wont  do"  he  said  slowly,  shaking 
his  head  up  and  down ;  "  it  wont  do,  I  tell 
you,  Hannah." 

"What,  father?  They'll  never  want  to 
go  on  the  water  again,  I'll  warrant  you." 

"  Fudge !  It's  a  good  experience  for 
them.  They'll  be  over  it  in  a  day  or  two, 
trust  me !  But  it  wont  do  for  Stella  to 
try  to  keep  up  with  Gipsy." 

"  No  ?  Well,  then,  I'm  sure  Gipsy'll  hold 
herself  in  for  Stella's  sake." 

And  Gipsy  meant  to,  although  she  said 
nothing,  and  didn't  like  it  very  well  that 
Aunt  Hannah  should  anticipate  her  inten- 
tion. 

Haven't  you  known  just  such  people, 

who,  rather  than  have  you  think  they  were 

acting  on  your  advice,  would  deliberately 
n 


86  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

refuse  to  do  a  good  action,  even  when  their 
mind  was  made  up,  if  you  happened  to 
throw  in  a  suggestion?  They  seem  to 
have  a  perfect  horror  of  leading  strings. 

And  perhaps  you  have  found  out  before 
this  that  our  Gipsy  was  rather  given  to 
such  freaks,  and  was  really  as  hard  to  man- 
age as  "Dame  Crump's"  little  pig  of 
"  Mother  Goose  "  celebrity. 

With  food  and  sleep  Gipsy  was  thor- 
oughly refreshed,  and  quite  ready  the  next 
morning  for  any  adventure  that  might 
turn  up,  or  be  suggested  by  her  fertile 
brain.  But  Stella  was  not  so  fortunate. 
The  fright  and  anxiety  were  not  with- 
out their  effect  upon  her  rather  delicate 
constitution,  and  for  several  days  she  was 
confined  to  her  bed  with  a  low  nervous 
fever. 

The  sight  of  Gipsy  would  only  increase 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  87 

her  delirium,  while  Aunt  Hannah's  pres- 
ence had  a  soothing  influence. 

At  first  Gipsy  wandered  about  feeling 
very  sad  and  lonely;  she  couldn't  play 
and  the  idea  of  taking  a  needle  in  her  hand 
unless  she  was  compelled  to  never  entered 
her  head.  She  went  into  the  barn,  but  it 
was  noisy  and  dusty,  and  she  knew  very 
well  that  Uncle  Nathan  didn't  want  her 
there.  Then  she  went  to  the  creek  just 
about  the  time  Mrs.  Lesher's  ten  ducks 
waddled  down  in  single  file  to  take  their 
morning  bath,  and  this  amused  her  for 
quite  a  while,  for  it  was  really  a  very 
funny  sight. 

There  was  a  little  bridge  over  the  creek 
that  ran  between  Captain  Terry's  and  Mr. 
Lesher's,  and  Gipsy  and  Stella  were  just 
beginning  to  find  out  what  a  pleasant 
place  it  was  to  spend  some  of  their  many 


88  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

idle  hours,  watching  the  ducks  and  fishing 
for  minnows  with  bent  pins. 

At  one  side  it  widened  into  a  little  pond, 
hut  at  the  other  side  of  the  bridge  the 
creek  ran  under  a  perfect  tangle  of  wild 
roses,  tall  trees,  and  flowering  shrubs,  that 
made  a  lovely  picture  when  they  were  in 
bloom. 

But  Gipsy's  eye  was  not  to  be  caught  by 
any  charm  of  landscape,  and  she  scarcely 
noticed  the  birds  that  hopped  and  twit- 
tered quite  close  to  her  feet.  It  was  one 
of  her  "  round-the-corner "  days,  when  she 
was  continually  striking  against  some  pro- 
jecting angle. 

She  turned  and  wandered  up  the  lane  a 
ways,  but  that  wasn't  what  she  wanted. 
It  was  hot,  and  dusty,  and  shady,  and  stu- 
pid, so  she  returned  to  the  house. 

There  was  the  breakfast  table  still  stand- 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  89 

ing,  the  dishes  unwashed,  a  state  of  affairs 
not  usually  seen  in  Aunt  Hannah's  house 
hold ;  but  every  thing  must  yield  to  sick- 
ness. 

As  soon  as  Gipsy  took  in  the  scene  she 
had  an  inspiration.  If  Granny  Hickson 
had  been  there  to  see  the  way  those  dishes 
were  washed  and  put  away,  I  think  the 
old  lady  would  have  been  almost  as  much 
astonished  as  Gipsy  was  that  she  hadn't 
thought  of  doing  it  before.  It  was  like 
getting  ready  for  a  surprise  party,  for  she 
knew  very  well  how  amazed  Aunt  Hannah 
would  be  when  she  came  down  and  found 
her  morning's  work  done  up  so  nicely. 

Stella  was  better  but  very  weak,  so  that 
the  sudden  shutting  of  a  door,  or  any 
strange  noise,  made  her  jump  as  if  she  had 
been  shot;  and  because  Gipsy  was  apt  to 
"go  off"  suddenly,  it  was  thought  best  to 


90  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

have  her  sleep  in  another  room,  and  avoid 
seeing  Stella  for  a  few  days. 

What  Gipsy  needed  was  employment; 
and  when  she  had  taken  hold  of  work 
so  distasteful  that  she  wTould  have  been 
vexed  had  any  one  proposed  her  doing  it, 
she  found  herself  so  happy  and  contented 
that  she  actually  looked  around  to  see 
what  else  she  could  do. 

It  was  the  strangest  adventure  she  had 
had  yet,  and  reminded  her  of  queer  trans- 
actions in  her  early  days.  She  couldn't 
keep  Granny  Hickson  out  of  her  mind. 
Perhaps  if  she  hadn't  had  her  ears  pulled, 
and  her  arms  pinched,  and  been  scolded 
from  morning  till  night,  she  might  have 
found  the  sunshine  that  lies  in  the  heart 
of  work,  and  been  a  real  comfort,  instead 
of  a  plague,  to  her  industrious  guardian. 

While  she  was  brushing  up  the  kitchen. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  91 

and  thinking  these  thoughts,  Aunt  Hannah 
came  in,  and  was  quite  as  surprised  as  Gip- 
sy hoped  she  would  be. 

"  Bless  your  dear  heart !  You  are  a 
jewel !  It  isn't  every  body  that  has  such 
a  good  fairy !  "  and  putting  her  arm  around 
Gipsy's  waist  they  both  dropped  into 
the  big  rocker,  and  although  Gipsy's  feet 
trailed  on  the  floor,  and  there  wasn't  much 
lap  to  accommodate  her,  she  enjoyed  being 
made  a  baby  of  just  as  much  as  if  she  had 
been  ever  so  many  years  younger.  For 
the  really  humble  and  affectionate  heart 
always  longs  for  the  shelter  of  embracing 
arms,  and  for  that  reason  finds  its  way 
early  to  the  compassionate  Saviour. 


92  Gipsy's  Adventures. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

GIPSY,"  said  Aunt  Hannah  one  aft- 
ernoon about  ten  days  after  the 
event  related  in  the  last  chapter,  "I  wish 
you  and  Stella  would  go  up  the  road  and 
ask  how  old  Mrs.  Johnson  is." 

"  She'd  think  I  was  crazy ! "  exclaimed 
Gipsy,  looking  very  much  as  if  she  thought 
Aunt  Hannah  must  have  taken  leave  of 
her  senses. 

"To  ask  after  her  health?" 

"  O — h  !  "  said  Gipsy,  much  relieved,  "  I 
thought  you  wanted  me  to  ask  how  old 
she  was." 

"  I  never !  That  would  be  funny !  "  and 
Aunt  Hannah  laughed  so  heartily  that  the 
girls  joined  in,  and  Uncle  Nathan,  catching 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  93 

the  echo,  stepped  to  the  barn  door,  where 
he  stood  wreathed  in  smiles. 

Stella  ran  over  as  soon  as  she  saw  him 
to  explain  the  joke,  at  which  he  laughed  so 
heartily  that  one  or  two  hens  flew  off  their 
nests,  and  cackled  as  if  they  understood 
all  about  it. 

"  You'll  enjoy  the  walk,"  said  Aunt 
Hannah  when  the  mirth  had  subsided, 
"  and  it'll  make  the  old  lady  feel  better  to 
have  some  one  inquire  after  her.  You 
needn't  hurry  back." 

It  was  a  lovely  afternoon,  and  the  girls 
started  off  through  the  shady  lane,  singing 
hymns  that  were  full  of  joy  and  gladness. 

Stella's  fright  had  done  her  no  serious 
injury ;  she  was  even  better  than  she  had 
been  in  some  time,  and  quite  ready  to  en- 
gage in  any  sports  that  might  come  along. 
She  had  had  several  delightful  sails  in  the 

12 


94  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

"Gracie"  with  Uncle  Nathan,  and  had 
quite  overcome  her  terror  of  the  water, 
although  she  didn't  care  to  trust  herself 
again  in  the  "donkey,"  with  a  Gipsy 
captain. 

"I  wish  Frank  was  here,  don't  you?" 
said  Stella,  on  the  way  to  Mrs.  Johnson's. 

" Don't  I,"  said  Gipsy.  "I  was  just 
a-thinking  what  fun  we'd  have  with  some 
nice  boy.  Stella,"  she  added,  looking  cau- 
tiously up  and  down  the  lane,  "  I'm  dying 
to  climb  a  tree !  You  wont  believe  it, 
may  be,  but  ever  since  we've  been  here 
I've  wanted  to  get  up  off  the  ground — 
higher  up  than  most  folks — and  see  if  I 
felt  any  thing  like  a  bird." 

"  What  makes  you  want  to  do  such 
queer  things,  Gipsy  \  "  said  her  companion. 
"  It's  hard  work  to  climb  a  tree." 

"  If  it  was  easy  I  wouldn't  want  to  do 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  95 

it.  I  never  did  want  to  do  any  thing  that 
other  girls  could  do." 

"  It's  so  odd,"  said  Stella.  "  Why  Gipsy ! 
You  don't  really  mean  it !  You're  not  go- 
ing to  climb  !  What  will  Aunt  Hannah 
say  i " 

"She'll  laugh— and  so  will  Uncle  Na- 
than. Do  you  want  to  see  me  die  ? "  asked 
Gipsy,  pausing  with  her  hands  on  the  tree, 
and  looking  very  solemnly  at  Stella.  "  Do 
you  want  to  see  me  drop  right  down  dead 
at  your  feet  % " 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  Stella,  very  much 
alarmed,  and  endeavoring  to  dissuade  Gip- 
sy from  her  purpose.  "  Of  course  not,  and 
that's  the  reason  I  don't  want  you  to  go 
up  that  tree.  You'll  fall  and  break  your 
neck,  and  then  what  \ " 

"A  funeral,"  said  Gipsy,  laughing  at 
Stella's  fears.      "Now,  dear  little  l  Goodv 


96  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

Two  Shoes,'  don't  be  silly;  Aunt  Hannah 
said  we  needn't  hurry  back,  so  we'll  take 
it  easy  both  ways;"  and  while  Stella  was 
looking  up  and  down  hoping  some  one 
would  come  along  to  prevent  any  such  ex- 
ploit, Gipsy  clambered  up  into  the  wild 
cherry-tree  and  began  eating  the  fruit. 

"  It's  magnificent !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I 
know  I  could  be  a  bird  if  I  didn't  have  to 
wear  shoes  and  things  !  " 

"  Wont  you  come  down  ? "  said  Stella 
anxiously.  "  Do,  that's  a  good  Gipsy ;  I'm 
so  afraid  you'll  fall." 

"In  a  minute,"  was  the  reply,  ending 
in  a  whistle.  "You  go  and  ask  how  old 
Mrs.  Johnson  is,  and  I'll  wait  here  for 
you." 

"  I  can't,"  said  Stella.  "  You  might  be 
good,  Gipsy." 

"  I  will,  some  other  dav :  but  somehow 


Gipsy's  Adventuees.  97 

or  other  it  seems  as  if  all  the  bad  there  is 
in  me  must  come  out  to-day.  I  want  to 
do  something  real  wicked  !  " 

"  O,  Gipsy  !  It's  real  wicked  for  you  to 
talk  so ! " 

"  Is  it  2 "  said  the  tantalizing  Gipsy. 
"Then  I'm  glad.  Got  rid  of  so  much  bad 
anyway — and  no  accident.  Stella,"  she 
added  after  a  pause  filled  in  with  cherries, 
"  if  you  see  any  body,  tell  them  I'm  off  on 
a  picnic." 

"  You  said  you'd  never  go  on  another," 
reminded  Stella. 

"  Did  I  ?  I've  a  wretched  memory  for 
such  things.  I  say  lots  o'  things  I  don't 
mean,  but  when  I  say  I'm  coming  down  I 
mean  it." 

Stella  was  vexed  at  Gipsy's  provoking 
ways,  and  walked  back  toward  the  house, 
threatening  to  expose  her  unladylike  per- 


98  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

formance,  for  Stella  had  been  brought  up 
in  a  city  where  climbing  trees  was  not 
considered  a  very  graceful  accomplishment 
for  young  girls. 

She  had  not  gone  far,  however,  when 
she  was  recalled  by  a  long  and  loud  scream 
from  the  direction  of  the  cherry-tree.  It 
was  very  unlike  a  bird.  It  was  surely  a 
cry  of  terror,  an  unusual  sound  from  Gip- 
sy, and  Stella  was  so  paralyzed  with  fear, 
that  when  she  started  to  run  it  seemed  as 
if  she  didn't  move  at  all. 

Going  back  to  the  tree,  she  found  Gipsy 
clinging  desperately  to  the  branches,  her 
face  pale  with  fright,  and  her  lips  black 
with  cherry  stains. 

"Take  it  away !  take  it  away  ! "  screamed 
Gipsy ;  and  Stella,  looking  for  the  cause  of 
such  distress,  saw  an  immense  snake  lifting 
itself  from  a  bush  that  stood  at  the  foot  of 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  99 

the  tree.    It  threw  her  into  as  great  a  state 
of  terror. 

"  Don't  move,  Gipsy !  Climb  up  high- 
er ! "  she  exclaimed,  hardly  knowing  what 
advice  to  give,  or  what  course  to  pursue. 

"Find  somebody,  quick  !  "  shouted  Gip- 
sy, and  Stella,  only  too  glad  to  get  away 
from  such  an  unpleasant  neighborhood,  ran 
with  all  her  might,  intending  to  get  aid 
from  Uncle  Nathan,  or  Jabez,  the  hired 
man. 

Gipsy  waited  very  impatiently,  scream- 
ing involuntarily  whenever  the  snake,  that 
looked  to  her  to  be  at  least  nine  feet  long, 
raised  its  head,  as  if  about  to  ascend  the 
tree. 

" Go  away!  go  away!"  she  screamed. 
"Murder!     Help!     Fire!" 

"  Hallo  there ! "  said  a  voice  below  her, 
and  a  few  rods  off.     a  What's  up  I " 


100  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

"  I  am,"  said  Gipsy,  recognizing  Dick 
Lesher ;  "  and  I'd  like  to  come  down,  but 
that  old  black  snake  wont  let  me ! " 

"  Wont,  hey  ?  We'll  see  about  that !  " 
and,  taking  the  pole  he  carried  on  his 
shoulder,  he  beat  so  furiously  against  the 
bush  and  the  tree  that  Gipsy  felt  as  if 
there  was  some  danger  of  her  tumbling 
down  from  her  perch,  which  had  begun  to 
be  very  shaky  ever  since  the  snake  made 
its  appearance. 

"There!"  exclaimed  Dick,  laying  his 
victim  at  full  length  in  the  middle  of  the 
road.  "  He  wont  trouble  any  body  any 
more !  "  and  before  he  could  turn  round 
Gipsy  stood  beside  him. 

"  Well,  you  are  a  quickster !  This  was 
most  as  bad  as  being  adrift  in  a  '  donkey,' " 
said  Dick. 

"  O,    worse !      I'm    afraid    of    snakes ! 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  101 

Ugh  !  r-r-r-r !"  and  she  shuddered  at  the 
thought  of  the  danger  she  had  just  es- 
caped. "  But  I  haven't  done  rny  errand  !  " 
she  exclaimed  with  a  sudden  twinge  of 
conscience ;  "  and  Stella's  gone  home  !  " 

"  So  you  had  an  errand  to  do  when  you 
met  the  snake  \  Do  you  mind  telling 
what  it  was  \ " 

"  Aunt  Hannah  wanted  us  to  inquire 
how  old  Mrs.  Johnson  was — that's  all," 
said  Gipsy. 

"She's  about  a  hundred  and  two,  I 
think,  and  much  better  of  her  rheumatism. 
I  just  came  from  there." 

"  Then  I  wont  go,"  said  Gipsy ;  "  I 
might  meet  another  snake." 

"  And  I  might  not  be  on  hand  to  help 
you,"  said  Dick. 

"I  think  Stella  Goodenou^h  is  awful 
mean.     She  hasn't  come  back  yet,  and  I 

13 


102  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

might  ha'  been  eaten  up  by  the  black 
snake,"  said  Gipsy,  feeling  herself  really 
injured  and  aggrieved,  and  quite  oblivious 
of  the  distress  she  had  caused  poor  Stella. 

"I  might  ha'  been  eaten  up,  mightn't 
I  \ "  she  inquired  of  her  rescuer  from  two 
dangers. 

"Yes,  like  any  other  black  bird,"  said 
Dick. 

"  There,"  said  Gipsy,  reminded  of  her 
untidiness,  as  well  as  of  something  else, 
"  I  meant  to  have  got  some  cherries  for 
Stella." 

"  We'll  go  back,"  said  Dick.  "  It's  mean 
to  go  empty-handed,  when  you  can't  help 
showing  what  a  feast  you've  had." 

So  back  they  went,  and  Dick  wove  a 
basket  of  chestnut  leaves,  filled  it  heaping 
full,  and  carried  it  all  the  way,  that  Gipsy 
might  run  and  jump  as  much  as  she  chose 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  103 

without  being  in  danger  of  spilling  the 
contents. 

Gipsy  entered  at  the  side  door,  intend- 
ing to  surprise  Aunt  Hannah  and  Stella, 
but  the  kitchen  was  empty.  Perhaps  Stella 
was  sick  !  Another  fright  may  have  killed 
her !  and,  full  of  self-reproach,  that  seldom 
came  in  time  to  prevent  any  thoughtless 
act,  she  ran  into  the  "  best  room,"  where 
she  heard  voices. 

Could  she  believe  her  eyes?  There  sat 
Aunt  Elsie  and  Frank,  and  she  looked 
around  expecting  to  find  Beauty  curled 
up  in  a  corner. 

This  was,  indeed,  a  surprise  that  sent 
the  cherries  all  over  the  floor,  and  made 
Gipsy  quite  oblivious  of  the  stains  on  her 
face  and  hands,  or  the  rents  in  her  dress. 

"This  is  a  veritable  gipsy/'  said  Aunt 
Elsie,  holding   her   in    a  warm    embrace. 


104  Gipsy's  AdventuPwES. 

"Pa  sent  you  this,"  giving  her  an  extra 
kiss ;  "and  Pauline  said  I  must  be  sure 
and  tell  you  not  to  bring  any  ghosts  home 
with  you." 

"I  don't  know  what  she  means,"  said 
Gipsy. 

"  Well,  I  wont  explain  now,"  said  Aunt 
Elsie.     "  What  is  the  matter,  Stella  \ " 

"  Why — why,"  said  Stella,  flushing  with 
mortification  and  surprise,  "  I  forgot  some- 
thing;" and  she  stole  a  glance  at  Gipsy. 
"  Yes.  I  left  Gipsy  in  the  cherry-tree,  and 
a  big  snake  going  after  her,  and  when  I 
ran  back  and  found  you  and  Frank  I  for- 
got all  about  it ! " 

"  That  was  too  bad  ! " 

"  Wath  it  a  big  thnake  ? "  asked  Frank. 

"  As  long  as  this  room,"  said  Gipsy, 
stretching  it  a  trifle — the  snake,  and  not 
the  truth — for  it  really  seemed  to  her  as  if 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  105 

it  grew  longer  and  fiercer  every  moment 
she  stayed  near  it.  There  is  nothing  like 
terror  to  exaggerate  an  evil. 

"  How  did  you  get  down  ? "  asked  Stella. 
"I  ought  to  have  gone  right  back,  but  it 
slipped  right  out  of  my  mind  as  soon  as  I 
saw  mamma  and  Frank." 

"  And  then  enters  the  ghost,"  said  Aunt 
Elsie  quietly,  looking  affectionately  at  both 
the  girls,  who  sat  on  either  side  of  her, 
their  heads  resting  on  her  shoulders. 

"Is  that  the  kind  Paulie  meant?"  asked 
Gipsy. 

u  I  suppose  so,"  was  the  reply. 

Gipsy  must  have  thought  of  something 
at  the  right  moment,  for  she  bounded  from 
her  place  on  the  sofa,  and  went  out  into 
the  kitchen,  where  Aunt  Hannah  was  mak- 
ing preparations  for  an  early  tea. 

"  I'm  going  to  help." 


106  Gipsy's  Adyentukes. 

"  No,  no,  child ;  you'll  only  be  underfoot. 
Go  along  and  have  a  good  time ;  you  can't 
be  young  but  once  in  your  life." 

It  was  unlike  Granny  Hickson's  protest, 
and  Gipsy  paid  no  attention  to  it  what- 
ever. 

"It's  company,  aint  it?"  she  said,  paus- 
ing on  her  way  to  the  buttery. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  and  Aunt  Hannah 
dimpled  her  biscuits  with  a  laugh.  It  is 
never  safe  for  people  to  make  bread  when 
they  are  in  a  bad  humor,  and  as  Aunt 
Hannah's  bread  and  biscuit  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  always  delicious,  it  must 
have  been  owing  to  her  unfailing  good 
temper,  rather  than  to  the  quality  of  the 
ingredients.  She  never  made  any  excuse 
for  poor  flour  or  poor  yeast;  she  never 
needed  to. 

Gipsy's  nimble  feet  saved  Aunt  Han- 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  107 

nali  many  steps,  and  caused  her  to  think 
it  a  nice  thing  to  have  a  little  girl  waiting 
on  her  so  cheerfully  and  willingly.  She 
had  tried  several  experiments  in  this  line, 
but  they  had  succeeded  badly.  The  chil- 
dren were  idle  and  ungrateful,  and  as  they 
gave  her  very  little  assistance,  and  great 
anxiety,  she  was  glad  to  get  along  without 
them. 

Gipsy  liked  to  have  Aunt  Hannah  call 
her  a  little  "fairy,"  and  other  pet  names; 
and,  as  love  is  always  a  trifle  selfish,  she 
was  rather  glad,  now  that  Aunt  Elsie  had 
come,  that  Aunt  Hannah  had  no  other 
little  girl  to  make  her  feel  jealous.  She 
wanted  a  mother  all  to  herself,  and  circum- 
stances seemed  to  be  drawing  her  closer 
and  closer  to  Aunt  Hannah. 

After  tea  Stella  and  Gipsy  escorted 
Frank  up  the  lane,  that  he  might  see  the 


108  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

wonderful  snake,  and  the  scene  of  Gipsy's 
alarming  adventure. 

"  It  isn't  near  as  big  as  I  thought,"  said 
Frank,  looking  rather  disappointed. 

"  I  guess  if  you'd  been  up  in  that  tree, 
Frank  Goodenough,"  exclaimed  Gipsy  with 
considerable  spirit,  "  you'd  have  thought  it 
was  a  mile  or  two  long  !  It  hissed  as  loud 
as  a  steam-engine — almost." 

"  It  looked  bigger  to  me,"  said  Stella, 
"  and  seemed  to  stretch  so." 

"  I'd  have  killed  it  with  a  thtone,"  said 
Frank,  feeling  very  brave  indeed  before  a 
dead  foe. 

"I  threw  a  hundred  or  two  at  it,  but 
they  only  made  it  more  fierce." 

"  A  hundred  or  two  !  out  of  a  tree  !  O 
— you — thtory-teller ! " 

"  Cherry-stones  I  meant,"  said  Gipsy. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  109 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SOMETHING  mysterious  was  going  on 
at  Meterville.  Dick  Lesher  had  made 
frequent  visits  to  Uncle  Nathan ;  Mrs. 
Lesher  had  been  closeted  for  several  hours 
with  Aunt  Hannah;  and  all  the  big  folks 
looked  as  if  they  had  a  secret  to  keep, 
which  the  little  folks  were  trying  their 
best  to  discover. 

As  Frank  was  to  remain  but  a  few  days, 
Gipsy  and  Stella  were  kept  busy  as  guides 
to  all  the  places  of  interest  in  and  around 
Meterville,  and  repeated  for  his  benefit  on 
rainy  days  all  the  old  legends  that  had 
come  to  their  ears. 

"  This  house  stood  here  during  the  Rev- 
olution," said  Mrs.  Goodenough  one  day 
u 


110  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

when  the  stock  of  wonders  seemed  about 
exhausted.  "  Did  Uncle  Nathan  tell  you 
any  thing  about  it  % " 

"No,"  said  Gipsy.  "More'n  two  hun- 
dred years  old !  "  and  there  was  something 
really  reverential  in  the  way  she  looked 
around  at  the  quaint  old  dwelling.  "Do 
tell  us  all  about  it ! " 

"Father  was  a  little  boy  at  that  time, 
and  could  remember  the  British  troops 
were  quartered  here,  every  thing  given  up 
to  them,  and  how  frightened  the  whole 
family  was  as  long  as  they  stayed.  They 
knew  they  were  coming,  and  had  just  time 
to  bury  the  silver  in  the  garden,  and  hide 
what  other  valuables  they  had.  Grand- 
mother seized  all  the  gold  and  threw  it 
into  the  fire." 

"  O  !  "  exclaimed  the  children,  exchang- 
ing glances  of  distressful  sympathy. 


Gipsy's  Adventuees.  Ill 

"They  were  here  but  a  few  days,"  con- 
tinued Aunt  Elsie,  "  but  they  made  dread- 
ful work;  and  when  they  were  fairly  gone 
grandmother  raked  over  the  ashes  and 
found  the  gold  the  soldiers  little  suspected 
was  so  conveniently  near,  and  the  silver 
was  brought  into  the  house  again.  That 
old  silver  tankard  is  one  of  the  relics,"  she 
said,  pointing  to  a  queer-shaped  mug  that 
stood  on  the  sideboard. 

The  girls  had  found  so  much  out  of 
doors  to  entertain  them  that  they  had 
hardly  made  themselves  acquainted  with 
the  attractions  within  doors;  but  when 
Aunt  Elsie  pointed  out  the  heavy  beams, 
the  little  corner  cupboards,  the  half  doors, 
that  were  unlike  any  thing  they  had  seen 
elsewhere,  and  told  how  strong  the  houses 
had  to  be  built  in  those  days  to  protect 
the  families  from  Indians  and   hostile  at- 


112  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

tacks,  it  made  them  feel  as  if  they  had 
opened  one  of  the  most  interesting  pages 
of  American  history. 

•'I'd  like  to  be  a  soldier,"  said  Gipsy. 
"I  know  I  could  fire  a  gnn  now,  if  any 
body'd  let  me  have  one." 

"  Have  you  seen  grandfather's  musket  \ " 
asked  Aunt  Elsie. 

"  Is  it  alive  ?     I  mean,  is  it — " 

"Yes,  it's  alive,  but  it  hasn't  spoken  in 
a  great  many  years,  though  it  stands  in  the 
same  place  where  it  used  to  stand  in  grand- 
father's day." 

"  Where  ? "  said  Frank,  with  the  inter- 
est boys  usually  feel  in  weapons  of  warfare. 

"  There,  behind  the  front  door." 

Sure  enough,  there  it  was,  an  immensely 
tall,  daogerous-looking  gun,  reaching  al- 
most from  floor  to  ceiling,  and  needing  a 
strong  arm  to  shoulder  it. 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  113 

Six  bright  eyes  ran  up  and  down  its 
rusty  length,  and  the  sight  of  so  formida- 
ble a  weapon  gave  them  some  idea  of  the 
character  of  those  ancient  foes. 

"  Was  grandfather  a  big  man  ?  "  inquired 
Stella.  "  He  must  have  been  a  giant  al- 
most to  carry  such  a  gun.  My  shoulder 
aches  now,  just  looking  at  it." 

"They  didn't  march  around  much,  I 
think,  with  these  guns.  Grandfather  was 
a  tall  man,  over  six  feet,  and  a  splendid 
marksman.  He  was  friendly  with  the  In- 
dians, too,  but,  knowing  them  to  be  treach- 
erous, was  always  on  his  guard.  An  In- 
dian always  seems  to  me  the  type  of  a  bad 
habit.  If  you  are  friendly,  and  allow  him 
to  come  into  your  house  and  find  out  all 
the  weak  places,  he  will  some  time,  when 
least  expected,  take  advantage  of  your 
kindness,  and  very  likely  destroy  you." 


t 
114  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"  We  must  be  always  on  guard,"  said 
Stella,  who  was  used  to  these  moral  talks 
with  her  mother. 

"  With  a  big  gun  behind  the  door," 
added  Gipsy,  seeing  the  humorous  side  to 
every  thing. 

"Yes,  and  I  think  men  have  shortened 
their  consciences  in  the  same  way  they've 
shortened  their  guns.  Frank,  don't  handle 
that  too  much." 

"It  wont  go  off." 

"It  might  kick,"  and  Dick  Lesher's 
sudden  appearance  at  the  door,  the  up- 
per half  of  which  stood  open,  diverted 
not  only  Frank's  attention,  but  every  one 
else's  from  the  text  of  the  morniug's  ser- 
mon. 

"I  can't  come  in,"  said  Dick,  whose 
bright  face  made  a  broad  streak  of  sun- 
shine ;   "  but  there's  a  beach  party  going 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  115 

off  in  about  an  hour,  and  I  thought  may 
be  you'd  like  to  go." 

Gipsy  bounced  higher  even  than  when 
she  rode  all  alone  in  a  springy  stage-coach, 
and  Frank — the  other  irrepressible — gave 
something  as  near  like  an  Indian  war- 
whoop  as  a  boy  of  his  size  would  be  able 
to  manage  in-doors,  with  a  low  ceiling. 

"  Of  course  they'll  go,"  said  Aunt  Han- 
nah, coming  in  from  the  kitchen,  and  shut- 
ting the  door  carefully  behind  her.  "Is 
every  thing  ready  \ " 

"  Yes,"  said  Dick,  "  and  a  clear  coast." 

"  That's  good." 

The  lawn  extended  so  far  around  the 
house,  and  the  children  were  so  interested 
in  the  gun,  that  they  did  not  hear  the 
wagon  drive  up,  or  realize  what  was  going 
on  outdoors.  But  when  they  got  within 
sight  of  the  shore,  there  was  the  "  Gracie  " 


116  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

with  her  one  wing  extended  ready  for 
flight,  and  who  else  could  it  be  but  Cap- 
tain Terry  in  fall  command  ! 

Such  a  chattering  as  there  was,  and  such 
a  shaking  of  Aunt  Hannah's  broad  shoul- 
ders at  the  success  of  her  secret,  which  had 
been  kept  from  the  children  that  they 
might  have  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  sur- 
prise. Shall  I  venture  another  reason? 
Time  hangs  very  heavily  on  the  hands  of 
young  folks  when  there  is  any  treat  in 
prospect,  and  as  there  was  no  telling  what 
might  occur  to  postpone  the  beach  party, 
to  prevent  disappointment,  anxiety,  and 
impatience,  sleepless  nights,  and  trouble- 
some days,  Gipsy,  Stella,  and  Frank,  were 
kept  in  the  dark. 

It  was  wise,  but  they  didn't  like  it  very 
well,  that  all  these  preparations  had  been 
going  on  right  under  their  very  noses,  and 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  117 

they  hadn't  had  so  much  as  a  finger  in 
any  pie ! 

The  wind  was  just  right  to  carry  them 
over  the  bay,  and  with  Captain  Terry  at 
the  helm,  Dick  Lesher  as  first  mate,  and 
Frank  doing  occasional  duty  at  the  center- 
board,  it  almost  seemed  as  if  they  were  fly- 
ing toward  the  other  shore. 

The  little  dock  on  the  bay  shore  was  so 
crowded  with  skiffs,  and  sloops,  and  schoon- 
er-yachts, that  there  seemed  really  no  room 
for  the  "  Gracie  "  to  draw  in  and  discharge 
her  freight ;  but  after  poking  about  with 
an  oar,  and  pushing  against  other  boats, 
they  finally  succeeded  in  making  a  landing. 

The  ocean  sounded  like  a  great  organ 
swelling  its  grand  anthem  until  the  very 
earth  shook  with  its  reverberations.  But 
the  beach  was  not  the  lonely  place  Gipsy 
and  Stella  had  visited.     The  sight  took 

15 


118  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

away  their  breath,  just  as  it  did  Frank's. 
Men,  women,  and  children  wTere  every- 
where, in  the  water  and  out  of  the  water, 
sitting,  standing,  laughing,  screaming,  and 
running;  and  the  appearance  of  Captain 
Terry's  party  seemed  to  be  the  signal  for 
greater  rejoicings. 

Dick  agreed  to  look  after  the  children, 
and  both  Gipsy  and  Stella  naturally  looked 
to  him  for  protection,  Gipsy  with  much 
more  confidence  than  she  had  ever  felt  in 
Sim  Hickson.  He  was  gentlemanly  and 
kind,  and  not  a  bit  of  a  tease — which  is 
one  evidence  of  unkindness,  if  not  of  cru- 
elty. There  were  some  who  would  duck 
the  children  under  water,  and  grown  folks 
as  well,  despite  their  screams  of  terror,  but 
that  was  never  Dick  Lesher's  way.  He 
was  a  safe  guardian,  and  if  it  had  not  been 
so  neither  Aunt  Hannah,  nor  Aunt  Elsie, 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  119 

would  have  trusted  the  children  with  him 
a  single  moment. 

A  good,  trustworthy  boy  or  man,  girl  or 
woman,  is  a  great  comfort;  and  every  body 
in  Meterville  loved  Dick  Lesher,  who  was 
always  ready  to  help  where  help  was 
needed,  always  good-natured,  and  never 
was  known  to  take  a  mean  advantage  of 
any  one. 

He  was  full  of  fun,  too,  and  all  the  boys 
and  girls  on  the  beach  gathered  around 
Gipsy,  Frank,  and  Stella,  and  before  they 
knew  it  they  had  quite  a  large  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances among  people  they  had  never 
seen  before. 

They  ran  races,  made  sand  ovens,  and 
dug  immense  wells,  and  then  had  a  good 
time  watching  Dick  roast  clams,  and  the 
other  people  make  preparations  for  dinner. 
It  was  just  what  Uncle  Nathan  had  told 


120  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

the  girls  tbe  beach  parties  were  like  when 
the  "  Franklin "  was  locked  in  the  sand, 
and  they  were  glad  to  be  in  the  midst  of 
a  scene  so  lively,  and  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Beach  parties  are  like  and  unlike  other 
social  gatherings.  There  is  perpetual  mu- 
sic, white  blossoms  of  the  sea,  and  endur- 
ing fragrance;  a  clean-swept  floor  for  the 
feet  to  trip  over,  and  perfect  freedom. 
One  has  to  let  himself  out  in  such  places. 

The  smell  of  the  coffee  made  every  body 
hungry,  and  there  was  soon  a  gathering  in 
of  the  troops  from  all  quarters.  Table- 
cloths were  spread  out  on  the  sand,  dishes 
heaped,  and  baskets  emptied;  roast  clams 
dug  from  their  ovens,  their  mouths  stand- 
ing invitingly  open ;  and  soon  every  body 
was  seated  on  the  ground  enjoying  the 
good  things  provided  as  no  one  ever  does 
except  when  at  the  sea-shore. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  121 

"  I  was  starved  to  death ! "  whispered 
Gipsy  to  Dick  as  she  took  up  her  fourth 
biscuit. 

u  I  should  think  so,"  said  Dick.  "  Aunt 
Hannah's  biscuits  are  bigger  than  most  peo- 
ple's, and  yet  they  never  seem  to  go  as  far 
— because  they're  so  good.  I  never  want 
to  stop  when  I  have  to  leave  off;"  and  he 
helped  himself  to  one  of  the  flaky  puffs. 

"I  think  we  all  have  a  weakness  that 
way,"  said  Mrs.  Goodenough.  "  I  don't 
believe  Stella  ever  ate  so  ravenously,  or 
Frank  either,  and  he  is  a  pretty  good 
trencher-man.  It  always  seems  to  me 
more  of  a  miracle  to  feed  five  thousand  on 
the  sea-shore,  than  ten  thousand,  or  even 
twenty,  anywhere  else." 

u  The  voice  of  God  is  upon  the  waters," 
said  Aunt  Hannah,  reverently. 

"  And  that's  why  I  can't  understand  it," 


122  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

thought  Gipsy.  "Sometimes  it  seems  to 
beckon,  and  then  it  drives  me  away,  as  if 
it  were  angry." 

"  What  is  it,  Gipsy ! "  asked  Aunt  Elsie. 
"  There's  the  biggest  kind  of  an  interroga- 
tion point  on  your  face.  Is  it  any  thing  I 
can  answer  ?  or  is  it  one  of  those  problems 
that  have  to  work  themselves  out  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Gipsy,  "  but  I  was 
a-thinking — " 

"B-thinking,  I  guess,"  remarked  Dick, 
"  for  you  seem  rather  busy  about  it." 

"  If  I  am  any  judge,"  said  Aunt  Elsie, 
"  she  is  taking  deep-sea  soundings,  and  has 
got  beyond  her  -depth." 

"  That's  it ! "  exclaimed  Gipsy,  still  re- 
taining her  rapt  expression.  "  Why  don't 
the  waves  keep  on  saying  the  same  thing  % 
Sometimes  they  seem  to  laugh,  and  some- 
times they  seem  to  growl," 


Gipsy's  Adventuees.  123 

"  And  toss  their  manes  like  great  sea- 
lions,"  added  Dick.  "  You  should  see  them 
in  a  storm,  Miss  Gipsy,  when  they  leap  tip 
twenty  or  thirty  feet,  and  dash  over  this 
bank  as  if  they  were  tearing  and  devour- 
ing their  prey.  I  tell  you  it  is  a  grand 
sight ! " 

Gipsy's  face  changed  its  expression  as 
she  caught  the  inspiration  of  the  picture, 
and  she  could  almost  hear  the  waves  gath- 
ering might  and  preparing  for  a  terrible 
onslaught. 

"  I  think  it  is  good  to  come  here  once  in 
awhile,"  said  Aunt  Elsie,  "if  only  to  be 
reminded  of  the  power  and  majesty  of 
God;"  and  then  she  chanted  the  Ninetv- 
third  Psalm,  that  chimed  in  with  the  grand 
chorus  like  the  solo  part  of  an  oratorio. 

"The  ocean  answers  to  every  mood  it 
appears  to  me,"  said  Dick.     "When  I'm 


124  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

gay,  it  seems  full  of  fun  and  frolic;  and 
when  I'm  sad,  there  isn't  any  thing  that's 
quite  so  full  of  sympathy." 

"  It  expresses  the  heart  of  Him  who  cre- 
ated it,"  said  Aunt  Elsie,  rising  to  assist 
in  gathering  up  the  dishes ;  and  Gipsy  felt 
that  she  had  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
ocean  by  reason  of  this  friendly  talk  be- 
side it. 

The  same  voice  that  had  spoken  to  her 
at  Niagara  was  speaking  to  her  here,  and 
in  the  midst  of  all  the  bustle,  and  fun, 
and  frolic,  and  feasting,  He  was  not  to  be 
forgotten. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  125 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  beach  party  furnished  material 
for  conversation  so  long  as  Frank  and 
his  mother  remained  at  Meterville,  and 
when  they  left  it  was  much  harder  for 
Gipsy  and  Stella  to  amuse  themselves  than 
it  had  been  before  they  came. 

"Three  heads  are  better  than  one,"  or 
even  two,  when  the  plans  for  a  successful 
campaign  are  to  be  drawn  up  and  exe- 
cuted; and  although  Gipsy  had  consider- 
able talent  in  devising  games  and  sports 
of  all  kinds,  Stella  was  not  quite  the  ready 
supporter  that  Frank  was. 

She  was  apt  to  hang  fire.  So  when  Gip- 
sy proposed  their  dressing  up  in  some  old 

duds  in  the  garret — for  she  had  not  lost 
16 


126  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

her  taste  for  masquerading.  Stella  made 
all  sorts  of  excuses,  and  rather  threw  cold 
water  on  her  enthusiasm. 

"Well,  you  needn't  if  you  don't  want 
to,  but  you'll  be  sorry  to  miss  the  fun ;  and 
you  know,  Stella,  you  were  not  to  read 
much." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Stella,  closing  the  vol- 
ume in  which  she  was  trying  to  get  inter- 
ested. "  But — Gipsy,  were  you  ever  home- 
sick?" 

"Yes,  often  and  often;  all  the  while  I 
was  at  Granny  Hickson's,  until  I  got  so 
sick  of  the  place  I  never  wanted  to  see  it 
again,  and  wished  when  I  woke  up  in  the 
morning  I  might  find  myself  somewhere 
else.  And  then  when  I  was  at  Mrs. 
Webb's,"  she  hurried  on,  u  O,  Stella,  you 
don't  know  how  homesick  I  used  to  be ! " 

"  I  don't  mean  that  kind,"  said  Stella, 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  127 

somewhat  mournfully.  "  Not  sick  of  your 
home,  but  for  your  home,"  she  explained. 

" Don't  I  know  all  about  it!"  said  Gip- 
sy, rocking  violently  back  and  forth,  her 
cheeks  reddening  with  the  exertion,  or  the 
emotions  she  recalled.  "  There's  something 
goes  tug,  tug,  tugging  at  your  heart,  and 
your  head  aches,  and  all  the  bones  in  your 
body,  and  you  don't  want  to  go  anywhere 
or  do  any  thing  that  any  body  wants  you  to. 
If  you  lie  down  you  don't  feel  good,  and  if 
you  sit  up  you  feel  worse;  and,  Stella," 
she  said,  going  up  to  her  and  kneeling 
down  beside  her,  "don't  you  think  you'd 
feel  better  to  have  a  good  cry  ? " 

It  just  needed  that  to  let  loose  the  flood- 
gates of  grief,  and  Gipsy  was  frightened  at 
Stella's  heavy  sobs  that  shook  her  so  terri- 
bly, and  was  glad  when  Aunt  Hannah 
made  her  appearance. 


128  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"  The  clear  child  ! "  exclaimed  the  good 
woman,  taking  Stella  in  her  arms  as  if  she 
had  been  a  wee  baby.  "  Cry  it  all  out,  it's 
the  best  way,  and  then  the  sun'll  shine  all 
the  brighter." 

Gipsy's  eyes  were  not  free  from  moist- 
ure, but  they  soon  dried  off,  and  finding 
that  Stella  was  comforted,  she  felt  free  to 
run  about  in  search  of  adventures.  It 
gave  her  the  blues  and  the  fidgets  to  be 
idle,  and  many  an  older  person  has  found 
that  work  is  the  best  preventive  of  either. 

While  Aunt  Hannah  was  acting  as  fos- 
ter-mother to  Stella,  Gipsy  was  rummaging 
up  garret  with  a  freedom  she  would  never 
have  dared  to  use  at  Granny  Hickson's, 
and,  of  course,  was  in  her  element. 

There  was  a  rap  at  the  side  door. 

"  Come  in,"  said  Aunt  Hannah,  and 
there   entered    a   queer    little    body    who 


Gipsy   as    "  Phebe   Whittlesey." 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  131 

seemed  to  have  dropped  out  of  the  last 
century.  She  had  on  a  figured  under 
skirt,  a  silk  pelisse,  with  shirred  yoke  and 
"  leg-of-mutton "  sleeves,  a  broad  frill  set 
up  around  her  neck,  in  dog  Toby  fashion, 
above  which  towered  a  great  coal-scuttle 
bonnet  that  effectually  concealed  the  face  of 
the  wearer.  A  long  vail  of  white  blonde 
swept  at  one  side  of  the  coal-scuttle,  and 
had  the  appearance  of  a  window  curtain. 

"  The  land's  sake !  "  exclaimed  Aunt 
Hannah,  loosing  hold  of  Stella,  who  found 
herself  slipping  to  the  floor.  "  The  land's 
sake  !  If  there  aint  Phebe  Whittlesey,  as 
sure  as  I'm  alive !  The  land  o'  goodness, 
if  it  aint  equal  to  a  resurrection  !  Stella," 
she  exclaimed,  endeavoring  to  suppress  her 
laughter,  "run  and  tell  Uncle  Nathan 
there's  a  very  old  friend  here  who  wants 
to  see  him  ! " 


132  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

Stella  hurried  off,  and  very  soon  re- 
turned with  Uncle  Nathan,  who  kept  re- 
peating "  I  wonder !  "  until  he  entered  the 
sitting  room,  when  he  ejaculated,  "Mighty 
frost !  "  and  sat  plump  down  into  the  near- 
est chair.    "  It's  Phebe,  isn't  it,  Hannah  I  " 

"  To  be  sure  it  is.  Wouldn't  you  know 
her  style  if  you  met  her  in  Egypt  ?  " 

"  I  thought  I  should,  but  being  taken 
by  surprise  made  me  kind  o'  unsartin. 
Can't  you  stay  awhile?"  he  inquired  of 
the  ancient  lady. 

"  No,  I  can't,"  was  the  response. 

"  Lawsy  !  "  said  Aunt  Hannah,  "  if  that 
wasn't  for  all  the  world  like  Phebe ! " — 
which  she  pronounced  as  if  it  were  spelled 
Pheeb — "just  that  sharp  and  crusty,  as  if 
she  wanted  to  snap  a  body's  head  off  for 
daring  to  speak  to  her.  How  often  I 
used  to  hear  Betsey  Hulse  speak  of  her ! " 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  133 

"Betsey'd  be  glad  to  see  her,"  said  Un- 
cle Nathan.     "  She  ought  to  call  there." 

The  big  hat  began  to  nod  as  if  it  didn't 
object  in  the  least,  and  Stella  having  quite 
recovered  from  her  attack  of  homesickness, 
was  perfectly  willing  to  accompany  the  old 
lady  on  her  pleasant  errand. 

A  change  of  clothes — the  putting  on  of 
any  quaint  costume — made  a  complete 
transformation  in  Gipsy  Warner,  and  in 
the  long  discarded  dress  of  Uncle  Nathan's 
aunt  appeared  the  living  picture  of  Phebe 
Whittlesey — voice,  manner,  attitude,  and 
all. 

It  was  an  accident,  of  course,  for  Gipsy 
had  never  even  heard  of  Aunt  Phebe,  and 
very  likely  the  familiar  garments  helped 
to  carry  out  the  delusion ;  but  any  way 
her  object  was  attained,  and  mirth  had 
chased  away  the  tears  from  Stella's  face. 


134  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

Up  the  road  went  the  two  girls  as  de- 
murely as  if  the  increasing  infirmities  of 
age  had  taken  all  the  vigor  of  life ;  and 
the  elderly  lady  leaned  upon  the  arm  of 
the  younger  as  if  she  really  needed  such  a 
support  for  her  tottering  steps. 

It  was  quite  a  little  walk  to  Betsey 
Hulse's,  but  under  broad  trees  all  the  way, 
and  the  novelty  of  the  expedition  made 
both  Gipsy  and  Stella  quite  indifferent  as 
to  the  distance.  They  knew  the  house, 
although  they  had  never  been  in  it,  and 
when  it  was  reached  Stella's  courage  failed 
her  and  she  felt  inclined  to  draw  back. 

"  Come  on  ! "  said  Gipsy,  twitching  her 
arm,  "  it  would  be  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish 
for  you  to  run  off  now,  and  leave  me  all 
stark  living;  alone  !  You  sha'n't  stir  one 
step  !  Aunt  Hannah  wouldn't  have  let  us 
come  if  it  had  been  wicked." 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  135 

"  I  know  that.  It  isn't  the  wicked  that 
troubles  me;  but,  Gipsy,  your  face  is  way 
back  out  of  sight,  and  this  hat  don't  cover 
my  face  a  bit." 

"  I'll  lend  you  my  vail,"  said  Gipsy,  be- 
ginning to  detach  it  from  her  bonnet. 

"0,  no!"  protested  Stella.  "  Never 
mind ;  this  will  do.  I'll  bring  the  brim 
down  over  my  forehead,  and  hide  the  rest 
of  my  face  in  my  handkerchief." 

"All  right.  But  don't  you  dare  to 
think  of  running  away,  or  you'll  be  sorry." 

Stella  promised  to  remain  faithful,  and 
Gipsy  attempted  to  give  her  a  kiss  in  re- 
turn for  her  kindness,  but  had  such  trouble 
to  find  her  mouth,  owing  to  the  projecting 
awning  of  Aunt  Phebe's  bonnet,  and  the 
broad  brim  of  Stella's  sun  hat,  that  the  at- 
tempt ended  in  a  peal  of  laughter  with 

which  Miss  Whittlesey  had  nothing  to  do. 
17 


136  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

Mrs.  Hulse's  door  stood  invitingly  open, 
and  Mrs.  Hulse  herself  was  the  only  occu- 
pant of  the  room,  with  the  exception  of  a 
yellow  cat  that  was  curled  up  on  the  cush- 
ion of  a  small  rocker.  The  door-yard  was 
very  small,  too  limited  even  for  the  chick- 
ens, who  found  superior  accommodations 
on  the  road  or  in  the  neighbors'  gardens. 

No  one  objected  to  feeding  Betsey's 
fowls,  no  matter  how  annoying  they  were, 
for  she  was  scarcely  able  to  take  care  of 
herself,  and  her  cat  and  chickens  were  a 
great  deal  of  comfort  as  well  as  company 
for  her. 

She  sat  in  a  high-backed  chair,  and  was 
all  bent  over  in  a  heap  with  rheumatism. 
She  had  keen  black  eyes,  and  her  white 
hair  was  combed  straight  from  her  fore- 
head and  twisted  into  a  small  knot  at  the 
back  of  her  head.    She  had  a  way  of  drop- 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  137 

ping  her  head  and  peering  out  of  her  eyes 
with  sharp  but  kindly  glances. 

Gipsy  walked  leisurely  in,  and  surveyed 
the  room  as  well  as  she  could.  There  was 
a  very  high  bureau  in  one  corner  with  a 
top  that  sloped  almost  to  the  ceiling,  and 
more  brass  handles  on  it  than  Gipsy  had 
time  to  count.  Queer-looking  things  were 
on  the  mantel  twisted  into  all  sorts  of 
shapes,  and  on  the  floor  were  great,  lovely 
shells,  that  seemed  to  fill  the  place  with 
stories  of  the  sea. 

It  only  required  one  sweep  of  the  big 
bonnet  to  take  in  all  these  things,  and  then 
it  was  no  longer  Gipsy  Warner  but  Phebe 
Whittlesey,  whom  Mrs.  Hulse  recognized 
quite  as  quickly  as  did  Uncle  Nathan  and 
Aunt  Hannah. 

"  I  do  say  !  "  she  exclaimed,  putting  out 
a  crooked   hand   to  her  visitor,      "I  ara 


138  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

surprised  ! "  and  her  beads  of  eyes  shone 
brighter  and  blacker. 

11  Do  sit  down,  Phebe,  and  let  us  have  a 
good  talk  about  old  times.  It  makes  me 
feel  young  to  see  ye  ! " 

Gipsy  took  possession  of  a  low  chair, 
first  dusting  it  carefully  with  the  under 
hem  of  her  dress,  while  Stella  appropri- 
ated a  bench  just  behind  her. 

"  Well,  if  that  wa'n'fc  for  all  the  world 
like  poor  Phebe !  She  always  did  think 
if  there  was  a  speck  of  dirt  she'd  stick  fast 
to  it,  and  was  for  everlastin'  sweepin'  an' 
dustin'.  I  remember  just  how  Ave  came  to 
get  those  prints — mine  was  the  prettiest — 
and  how  long  we  waited  for  Captain  Tut- 
h  ill's  vessel  to  come  back.  I  was  dreffle 
anxious  for  fear  it  might  go  down,  and 
carry  my  French  calico  dress  to  the  bot- 
tom.     Little  I  thought  of  the  lives  that 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  139 

might  perish  !  Dear,  dear !  but  we  was 
'mazing  fond  of  dress  in  them  days  !  And 
that  vail."  She  prattled  on,  entirely  ob- 
livious of  the  present,  her  thoughts  having 
been  carried  back  at  least  threescore  years 
by  the  unexpected  apparition  of  an  old 
friend.  "  And  that  vail !  I  couldn't  let 
Pheeb  Whittlesey  make  a  bigger  dash 
than  I  did,  if  it  took  away  every  cent  I 
had ;  and  forty  dollars  was  a  powerful 
sight  of  money  in  them  days !  I  never 
shall  forget  what  a  dash  we  cut  when  we 
went  into  the  church  on  Sunday;  nor 
how  we  blushed  when  Parson  Dean  began 
reading 

"  '  Who  are  these  in  bright  array  ? ' 

We  thought  he  meant  us,  of  course,  and 
felt  as  if  every  other  girl  in  the  place  was 
just  dying  of  envy.  Poor,  silly,  foolish 
things  we  were  ! "  and  then  she  relapsed 


140  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

into  a  thoughtful  mood,  the  silence  re- 
maining unbroken  except  by  the  ticking 
of  the  clock,  and  the  louder  purring  of  the 
cat. 

Even  Gipsy  and  Stella  were  so  absorbed 
in  listening  that  they  quite  forgot  they 
had  any  part  to  perform,  and  were  only 
brought  to  their  senses  by  the  sudden 
opening  of  a  side  door. 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  141 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  TTTHO  in  the  world  are  you  talking 
I  w  to,  Betsey  \ "  said  a  voice  that 
thrilled  through  and  through  Gipsy  War- 
ner, and  made  the  "hot  chills" — as  she 
called  them — creep  up  and  down  her  back 

Wasn't  she  thankful  for  a  big  bonnet, 
and  a  disguise  that  prevented  immediate 
recognition  !  And  wasn't  it  funny  to  be 
in  the  same  room  with  Granny  Hickson, 
and  she  not  know  it?  The  same  effect 
was  produced  on  her  that  she  had  pro- 
duced on  Aunt  Betsey:  both  were  lifted 
out  of  the  present  into  the  past,  that 
seemed  like  a  variegated  dream. 

"  Who  in  the  world  are  you  talking  to, 
Betsey  \ "  said  Granny  Hickson,  going  on 


142  Gipsy's  Advektuees. 

with  her  knitting  as  if  she  hadn't  another 
minute  to  live.  "  I  don't  know  when  I've 
heerd  ye  talk  so  kind  o'  chipper." 

"Like  enough,"  was  the  reply.  "When 
Pheeb  Whittlesey  came  in,  I  was  Betsey 
Mosier,  and  as  young  and  spry  as  any 
body.     Don't  you  remember  her  ? " 

"  Not  in  that  rig.  If  I'd  been  in  Clay- 
ville  I  might  ha'  thought  o'  Gipsy  Warner, 
for  she  was  a  master  hand  at  dressing  up 
in  old  duds." 

Stella  half  rose  from  her  low  stool,  her 
blue  eyes  open  at  their  widest,  and  her 
mouth  expressing  mute  astonishment  and 
incredulity. 

"  I  don't  know  who  they  are,"  said  Bet- 
sey, "but  I  rather  guess  they're  Cap'n 
Terry's  folks.  They  aint  spoke  a  word, 
but  I've  enjoyed  their  call  amazingly. 
Come  again,  wont  you  ?  " 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  143 

Gipsy  nodded — at  least  the  bonnet  did, 
and  it  answered  for  a  great  deal  of  cordial- 
ity, there  was  so  much  of  it,  and  a  little 
nod  went  a  great  ways. 

"  I'd  like  to  know  something  about  Gip- 
sy," said  Granny  Hickson,  knitting  more 
slowly,  as  if  every  word  she  said  was  to 
be  narrowed  in.  "I  wa'n't  as  good  as  I 
might  ha'  been ;  you  know  I  was  always  a 
little  peppery,  Betsey,  had  mother's  dispo- 
sition, and  hadn't  no  patience  with  chil- 
dren. But  sence  that  tech  o'  rheumatism 
when  I  got  religion,  somehow  things  look 
different." 

She  spoke  of  getting  religion  just  as  if 
it  had  been  some  other  form  of  disease, 
and  Gipsy  looked  at  her  as  earnestly  as  if 
she  expected  to  find  her  face  seamed  and 
scarred,  or  disfigured  in  some  way. 

But  no ;  there  was  no  outward  evidence 

18 


144  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

of  change  that  Gipsy  had  the  skill  to  de- 
tect, and  in  a  sort  of  stupor  she  listened  to 
Granny  Hickson's  remarks  somehow  as  if 
she  were  attending  the  funeral  of  that 
little  "  good-for-nothing  trollop  "  who  used 
to  have  her  dream-corners  in  the  old  gar- 
ret at  Clayville. 

What  to  do  she  didn't  know.  She 
wanted  to  run,  and  her  feet  seemed  glued 
fast ;  and  O !  how  she  did  wish  she  could 
slip  out  of  these  clothes  and  leave  Miss 
Whittlesey  sitting  on  the  chair,  while 
Gipsy  Warner's  presence  and  departure 
should  be  wholly  unsuspected. 

She  would  really  enjoy  such  ghostly 
proceedings,  but  there  was  something  to 
be  done  in  the  case  that  required  a  nobler 
display  of  character,  and  when  Granny 
Hickson  stepped  out  of  the  room  in  obedi- 
ence to  a  whisper  from  Mrs.  Hulse,  Gipsy 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  145 

said  quite  audibly  to  Stella,  "  What  shall 
I  do?" 

"  Tell  her,"  was  the  prompt  reply.  "  It 
will  be  such  a  surprise." 

"That's  what  I  thought,"  said  Gipsy, 
glad  to  have  her  better  impulse  sustained 
and  approved. 

"  We  hav'n't  been  very  polite,"  said  Mrs. 
Hulse,  as  Granny  Hickson  reappeared 
with  a  large  dish  of  crullers,  "  but  we 
don't  have  much  company  and  I  hope 
you'll  excuse  us." 

"Yes'm,"  said  Stella,  helping  herself  to 
one  of  the  cakes,  but  so  intent  on  Gipsy's 
maneuvers  that  she  had  no  idea  of  eating 
it,  and  was  hardly  conscious  that  she  had 
spoken. 

Gipsy  declined  taking  any,  being  too 
busy  with  the  strings  of  her  bonnet,  which 
had  got  into  such  a  hard  knot  she  was 


146  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

obliged  to  use  her  teeth  as  well  as  her 
finders. 

"  Must  you  go  I "  said  Mrs.  Hulse  as 
Gipsy  rose  from  her  chair.  "It's  done 
me  a  world  of  good  to  see  you,  Phebe; 
IVe  had  quite  a  revival  all  alone  by 
myself.  Fifty  year  or  more  ago!  It 
don't  seem  possible  !  What  changes  !  what 
changes ! " 

Gipsy's  bonnet  once  loosened  slipped 
easily  to  the  floor,  and  she  stood  there  a 
very  comical  figure,  her  young,  bright  face 
rising  above  the  white  ruffle  and  quaint 
costume,  like  a  new  blossom  on  an  old 
stalk. 

Mrs.  Hulse  laughed  at  the  transforma- 
tion, but  Granny  Hickson  kept  right  on 
with  her  knitting,  not  caring  much  for 
such  nonsense. 

It  cost  Gipsy  something  to  make  up  her 


Gipsy's  Adventuees.  147 

mind,  and  so  she  was  not  easily  driven 
back  from  her  purpose. 

"Don't  you  know  me,  Granny  Hick- 
son  ? "  she  said,  advancing  a  step  or  two. 

"  What's  that  ? "  said  the  old  lady  in  her 
sharpest  tone,  recognizing  a  familiar  voice. 
"  Betsey,  did  you  speak  \ " 

"  No,"  said  Gipsy,  not  giving  Mrs.  Hulse 
a  chance  to  reply.  "I  spoke;  and  my 
name  is  Gipsy  Warner,  and  I  want  to  tell 
you  how  sorry  I  am  that  I  gave  you  so 
much  trouble  when  I  used  to  live  with 
you." 

Down  went  knitting  work  and  specta- 
cles, and  up  went  two  hard  hands  whose 
weight  the  other  Gipsy  had  frequently 
felt. 

"  You  don't  say  so !  I'd  as  soon  ex- 
pected to  see  the  man  in  the  moon  because 
I  was  thinking  on  him  !     Gipsy  Warner ! 


148  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

You  don't  say  so!  "Well,  I  know'd  you 
must  be  some'ers  in  the  neighborhood. 
Come  here,  child  ! " 

Gipsy  advanced  another  step  or  two. 
"  You  aint  afraid  of  me,  be  you  ? " 
"  No,"  said  Gipsy,  "  or  I'd  run  away." 
"Sure  enough.      But  you  always  were 
mighty  spunk}^,  though  I  never  thought 
you'd   feel   like  saying   to  l  Granny '  any 
thing  like  them  'ere  words.     I  didn't  give 
you  credit  for  being  half  as  good  as  you 
were,  Gipsy,"  she  said,  extending  her  hand 
and  drawing  the  child  within  the  embrace 
of  her  arm.     "  I  was  a  cross,  cranky  old 
woman,    and    hadn't    patience    with    any 
body's  ways  but  my  own.     And  you  for- 
give me  all   the  hard  knocks   and   cross 
words  % " 

"  Indeed  I  do  ! "  exclaimed  Gipsy,  clasp- 
ing her  arms  about  the  old  woman's  neck, 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  149 

and  giving  her  a  real  hearty  kiss.  "  In- 
deed I  do!  I  wasn't  a  bit  good  myself, 
and  Fin  not  much  better  now — but  I  want 
to  be." 

'•Then  you  will  be,  sure.  It  don't  do 
for  any  one  to  think  too  much  of  them- 
selves; I  found  that  out,  and  none  too 
soon,  either." 

"  A  change  o'  place  sometimes  helps  to 
bring  about  a  change  o'  heart,"  said  Betsey. 

"  So  it  does !  so  it  does !  I've  no  doubt 
if  Gipsy  had  stayed  with  me  till  this 
time,  she'd  have  grown  just  as  crooked  as 
Granny  Hickson,  and  maybe'd  never  been 
able  to  ask  forgiveness  of  any  old  woman. 
You've  shown  a  good  heart,  Gipsy,  and  I 
hope  the  Lord'll  bless  you  for  it." 

u  Who  is  your  friend  % "  inquired  Mrs. 
Hulse,  feeling  that  Stella  was  somewhat 
neglected. 


150  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

O,  that's  Stella  Goodenough  ! "  said  Gip- 
sy, "  and  she's  my  new  sister." 

"  And  a  good  one,  I'll  warrant,"  said 
Granny  Hickson,  who  appeared  like,  and 
yet  strangely  unlike,  the  one  that  Gipsy 
remembered. 

Could  three  years  have  made  such  a  dif- 
ference ?  Something  more  powerful  than 
time  had  broken  through  the  cold,  hard, 
outer  crust,  and  found  the  warm,  living 
heart.  Expression,  voice,  and  manner, 
were  all  changed.  The  wTall  that  seemed 
ever  between  her  heart  and  Granny  Hick- 
son's  was  broken  down,  and  all  the  old 
differences  were  forgotten. 

If  "  getting  religion  "  took  all  the  "  scold  ? 
out  of  people,  and  made  them  gentle  and 
kind,  then  every  body  should  strive  to  get 
it.  It  had  surely  done  wonders  for  Granny 
Hickson ! 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  151 

"  May  be  these  little  girls  would  sing  us 
something.  Could  you,  my  dears  % "  asked 
Mrs.  Hulse. 

Of  course  they  could,  and  while  they 
sang, 

"Shall  we  meet  beyond  the  river  ?  " 

the  two  listeners  sat  with  folded  hands, 
and  a  far-away  expression  on  their  faces  as 
if  they  were  seeing  visions  of  stranger 
meetings  than  these  that  had  taken  place 
to-day — visions  that  opened  into  a  glorious 
future,  and  not  into  a  faded  and  imperfect 
past. 

When  the  hvmn  was  ended  both  the 

«/ 

girls  kissed  their  new  friends  good-bye,  and 
promised  to  come  in  occasionally,  even  if 
it  wasn't  convenient  to  bring  Phebe  Whit- 
tlesey. 

Out  doors,  despite  the  big  bonnet  and 

19 


152  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

pelisse,  Gipsy  Warner  was  her  own  noisy, 
reckless,  and  rollicking  self. 

"  Wasn't  it  fanny  I "  she  kept  repeating 
over  and  over  again.  "  Just  like  a  story- 
book. It  seemed  as  if  we  were  making 
believe  all  the  time." 

"  But  you  wern't,  Gipsy  ?  "  inquired  the 
conscientious  Stella,  to  whom  the  whole 
affair  appeared  very  real  and  solemn. 

"  O,  no  ! "  said  Gipsy,  quite  earnestty. 
"But  I  never  saw  any  one  before  who'd 
been  made  over." 

"  Didn't  you  ?  Was  Granny  Hickson 
awful  cross  to  you,  Gipsy  ?  " 

"  Cross  ? "  asked  Gipsy,  as  if  that  one 
word  failed  to  express  the  full  meaning. 
"  Why  she  never  did  any  thing  but  scold, 
and  would  jerk  me  out  of  all  the  good 
times  if  she  thought  there  was  a  chance 
of  my  getting  into  any.     Cross?  h'm  !  " 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  153 

"  I  never  lived  with  cross  people,"  said 
Stella,  stopping  to  pick  some  mint  leaves. 

"Well,  you  needn't  want  to!  That's 
what  makes  me  love  to  be  out  of  doors  so  ! 
There  isn't  any  scolding  going  on  !  " 

"Mamma  says  nobody  ought  to  scold 
without  occasion,"  said  Stella. 

"  Well,  Granny  Hickson  did !  She 
made  occasion.  She  enjoyed  it,  but  no- 
body else  did.  I  just  wish  Dick  Lesher 
would  come  along.  I  wonder  if  he'd  know 
me." 

"  O,  we  oughtn't  to  stop  another  min- 
ute, Gipsy.  We've  been  gone  a  long 
while  now,  and  Aunt  Hannah  might 
scold !  "  said  the  timid  Stella. 

"No  fear.  She  don't  know  how  to 
scold;  but  we'll  run  and  tell  her  all  the 
news." 

Run    they   did,  and   the   good-natured 


154  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

woman,  quite  as  anxious  to  hear  as  they 
were  to  tell,  dropped  her  work  and  paid 
all  attention  to  the  story  of  their  wonder- 
ful adventure. 

First  she  laughed,  and  then  she  cried, 
and  then  did  both  together  when  Stella 
told  how  Gipsy  had  asked  Granny  Hick- 
son's  forgiveness. 

Gipsy  said  nothing  about  that  herself, 
and  was  up  in  the  garret  putting  away 
the  borrowed  finery,  when  Stella  told  it. 
Then  she  shut  herself  in  her  own  room, 
for  somehow  she  felt  like  bein^  alone  now 
that  the  excitement  was  over. 

Presently  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 

"Don't  come  in,  Stella,  I'm  busy,"  was 
the  response. 

Busy  she  was,  indeed,  though  her  hands 
were  idle. 

"  Wont  you  let  me  in,  Gipsy  ? " 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  155 

It  was  Aunt  Hannah's  voice,  and  Gipsy 
rose  and  turned  the  key,  slipping  back  to 
her  seat  on  the  window-sill. 

"You  have  been  a  noble  girl  to-day, 
Gipsy,"  said  Aunt  Hannah,  after  carefully 
closing  the  door,  "  and  I  am  very  proud  of 
you  indeed." 

"  It  wasn't  any  thing,"  said  Gipsy,  keep- 
ing her  face  set  toward  the  window. 

"  It  was  a  great  deal,  I  think,  and  re- 
quired more  courage  than  some  people 
possess.     You  might  have  run  away." 

u  I  wanted  to ! "  exclaimed  Gipsy,  sud- 
denly turning  about ;  "  and  perhaps  1 
ought  to ! " 

"  No,  you  did  just  what  I  should  like 
my  little  girl  to  do.  l  Forgive  your  ene- 
mies ',  you  know ! "  and  Aunt  Hannah 
took  the  flushed  face  in  both  her  hands. 

"  It's  harder  than  fighting,"  said  Gipsy. 


156  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"It  is  fighting  against  yourself.  You 
will  be  all  the  while  meeting  worse  ene- 
mies than  Granny  Hickson." 

"  Well  I  know  I  can't  forgive  them  all," 
said  Gipsy.  "I  couldn't  have  done  it  to- 
day if  Stella  hadn't  been  along.  It  seemed 
as  if  she  was  saying  all  the  while,  'You 
ought  to,  Gipsy  !  you  know  you  ought 
to  ! '  and  so  I  thought  I  must." 

"  You  would  have  done  just  the  same  if 
Stella  hadn't  been  with  you.  I  am  confi- 
dent of  that,  and  I  am  sure  that  both  vou 
»  *j 

and  Granny  Hick  son  will  sleep  better  to- 
night on  account  of  this  little  adventure. 
I  think  the  Lord  sent  you  to  Betsey 
Hulse's." 

"  In  those  old  clothes  ?  " 

"In  those  old  clothes.  He  makes  use 
of  any  disguise  in  order  to  effect  this  pur- 
pose.   I  didn't  know  Granny  Hickson  was 


Gipsy's  Ad  ventures.  157 

there,  or  what  would  be  the  result  of  your 
meeting  her;  but  he  knew,  and  went  with 
yon." 

"  I — don't — like — to — think — so,"  said 
Gipsy,  working  her  hands  together,  and 
knitting  her  brows.    "  I'm  not  good  enough." 

"  The  more  reason  why  you  should  keep 
near  Him,  and  pray  to  Him  continually. 
If  you  were  strong  you  wouldn't  feel  your 
need  of  his  help;  but  you  do  need  him, 
Gipsy,  every  minute  of  the  day." 

"  I  know  it." 

"  At  work,  or  play,  or  even  when  entirely 
alone,  there  is  always  something  to  vex  us 
— some  trouble  in  the  way  we  can't  get 
over  until  He  comes  to  help  us :  and  he'd 
come  sooner  if  we'd  call  sooner." 

"  Aunt  Hannah,  what  is  the  reason  that 
He  seems  so  near  in  some  places  and  so  far 
away  in  others.      I  don't  think  He  was 


158  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

anywhere  about  Clayville,  or  Granny 
Hickson  might  have  found  Him.  He's 
been  getting  nearer  to  Gipsy  Warner  ever 
since  she  left  that  place.17 

"  Gipsy  Warner  thinks  more  of  Him 
than  she  used  to,  I  guess.  When  we  shut 
all  the  doors  and  windows,  you  know,  and 
sit  in  the  dark,  we  mustn't  complain  that 
the  sun  doesn't  shine." 

"It  didn't  shine  in  Granny  Hickson's 
house,"  said  Gipsy,  reminded  of  her  early 
criticism  in  regard  to  architecture.  "I  al- 
ways wanted  to  turn  it  inside  out." 

"  Well,  the  good  Lord  has  turned  it, 
you  see,  and  what  comfort  she  must  take 
sitting  in  the  sun  ! " 

"I  mean  the  house  she  used  to  live  in, 
Aunt  Hannah ;  you  never  saw  it,  did 
you?" 

"  No,  dear ;  but  I  have  had  in  my  mind 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  159 

4  the  house  not  made  with  hands ' — Granny 

Hickson's  own  heart — so  dark  and  desolate 

for  so  many  years.     It  doesn't  matter  how 

the  house  stands,  Gipsy ;  if  the  heart  looks 

toward  Christ,  there  is  always  plenty  of 

sunshine  within  doors." 

It  almost  seemed  as  if  Aunt  Elsie  were 

speaking.     The  frown  passed  from  Gipsy's 

brow,   and   the    kisses    she   showered   on 

Aunt  Hannah's  face  were  tokens  of  love 

from  a  heart  that  confessed  its  need  of  a 

guiding  hand. 
20 


160  Gipsy's  Advejntukes. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THERE  was  a  panic  in  the  money  mar- 
ket that  autumn.  People  who  had 
lived  in  large  houses  and  had  plenty  of 
servants  were  obliged  to  move  into  small- 
er quarters  and  do  their  own  work.  The 
poor  were  poorer  than  ever,  and  there 
were  very  few  cheerful  faces  to  be  seen 
anywhere. 

Even  little  children  felt  it,  and  found 
they  had  to  do  without  many  things  they 
always  had  had  for  the  asking. 

One  letter — L — that  made  the  love  of 
it,  dropped  suddenly  out  of  Gold  and  left 
God.  When  poverty  came  into  the  house, 
the  Bible  was  opened  and  its  treasure 
poured  into  the  empty  places. 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  161 

Even  Pa  Goodenough  felt  the  pressure, 
but  it  made  no  very  great  change  in  his 
household.  That  is,  they  didn't  have  to 
move  into  smaller  quarters,  for  they  were 
already  in  them ;  but  they  had  to  practice 
self-denial,  which  came  easier  to  them  than 
to  some  people,  as  they  had  never  been  very 
self-indulgent.  Their  chief  sorrow  was 
that  they  would  have  less  to  give  away. 

Aunt  Elsie  wrote  to  Uncle  Nathan,  and 
he  read  the  letter  aloud,  commenting  upon 
it  in  his  "  wondering "  way,  and  both. 
Stella  and  Gipsy  listened  without  under- 
standing very  much  about  it. 

Children  who  have  three  good  meals  a 
day,  a  nice  bed  to  sleep  in,  and  plenty  of 
time  to  play,  are  not  likely  to  be  disturbed 
in  their  minds  by  any  thoughts  of  poverty. 

If  they  could  go  into  some  of  those 
places  called  homes,  in  our  great  cities,  and 


162  Gipsy's  Adveotukes. 

see  how  people  live  huddled  together, 
with  little  air,  or  sunshine,  or  food,  they 
would  have  some  idea  of  what  it  is  to  be 
poor. 

Gipsy  had  visited  "  Major  Murphy,"  and 
thought  of  him  during  the  reading  of  Aunt 
Elsie's  letter,  but  further  than  this  she 
could  not  go.  She  had  always  been  taken 
care  of,  and  always  expected  to  be.  "What 
could  she  do  ? 

But  somehow  Gipsy's  head  and  heart 
got  hold  of  a  snarl  they  could  not  untan- 
gle. Sometimes  one  would  pull,  and  then 
the  other,  just  as  you  have  done  over  a 
skein  of  silk,  and  when  she  thought  she 
had  the  end,  whisk !  it  would  go,  and  then 
the  whole  thing  was  to  be  done  over 
again. 

She  couldn't  remember  a  word  of  Aunt 
Elsie's  letter,  but  these  strange  thoughts 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  163 

and  feelings  were  all  owing  to  that  inno- 
cent-looking piece  of  paper. 

There  wasn't  any  particular  message  to 
her,  but  it  seemed  as  if  something  had 
dropped  suddenly  out  of  her  life,  and  she 
was  trying  her  best  to  get  used  to  it.  She 
played  with  Stella,  but  not  with  her  old 
vivacity,  and  her  ringing  laugh  was  sel- 
dom heard. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Gipsy  ? "  inquired 
Stella  one  day  when  they  were  making  a 
necklace  of  dingle-shells.  "  You  look  as 
solemn  as  a  church-yard." 

"Something's  going  to  happen,"  said 
Gipsy,  solemnly. 

"  Something  is  always  going  to  happen," 
remarked  Stella ;  "  but  you  needn't  look 
so  miserable  about  it." 

"I  can't  help  it,  Stella,"  she  said,  paus- 
ing in  her  work ;  "  if  you  hadn't  any  father 


164  Gipsy's  Adveisttukes. 

or  mother,  or  sister,  or  brother,  wouldn't 
you  feel  bad  ? " 

"  Of  course  I  would,"  said  Stella,  bury- 
ing her  face  in  her  apron.  "  O,  Gipsy,  you 
make  me  real  homesick,  looking  so  sad  and 
talking  so  solemn.     Please  don't." 

"  I  must ;  it  chokes  me.  If  you  wanted 
to  do  something  you  didn't  want  to,  what 
would  you  do,  Stella  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.     Ask  Aunt  Hannah." 

"  I  can't." 

"  Well,  then  ask  '  Our  Father  who  art 
in  heaven,' "  said  Stella,  timidly. 

"  I  have,  and  I'm  not  sure." 

"  Is  it  any  thing  dreadful  \ "  inquired 
Stella,  her  blue  eyes  full  of  anxiety. 

"  It  is,  and  it  isn't ;  and  that's  just  what 
makes  those  two  Gipsys  cut  up  so ! " 

"What  two  Gipsys?" 

"Didn't  you  ever  know  there  was  two 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  1G5 

of  us,  Stella?  Why,  I  thought  I  told 
you !  When  I  want  to  do  good — do  auy 
thing,  I  mean — that  other  Gipsy  is  always 
interfering." 

"  O,"  said  Stella. 

"  Yes ;  it's  awful,  I  tell  you." 

"  But  that's  in  the  Bible  you  know,  Gip- 
sy :  '  when  I  would  do  good,  evil  is  pres- 
ent with  me'  don't  vou  know 2  " 


you 


"  Yes,  I  know,"  was  the  response ;  "  but 
you  don't  know  any  thing  about  it;"  and 
Gipsy  ended  with  a  sigh. 

It  lacked  but  a  few  days  of  the  time 
that  Mr.  Goodenough  had  set  to  come  to 
Meterville  for  the  girls,  and  active  prepa- 
rations for  their  return  were  going  on  in 
both  houses.  Stella  gathered  up  her  curi- 
ous stones  and  mosses,  and  even  had  quite 
a  large  bag  of  sand  in  the  bottom  of  the 
trunk. 


166  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

Dick,  who  had  been  like  a  big  brother 
to  them  all  the  long  summer,  brought 
them  a  little  offering,  in  the  shape  of  crosses 
covered  with  every  variety  of  wood  moss, 
which  they  knew  would  be  "a  joy  for- 
ever "  to  Aunt  Elsie  and  Pauline,  who  had 
a  fondness  for  such  works  of  art,  adorned 
by  nature. 

It  would  tell  them  more  of  the  woods 
than  they  could  put  into  words,  and  Stella 
hunted  up  a  box  in  which  to  preserve  hers 
during  the  journey. 

"  Aren't  you  going  to  take  any  thing  % " 
she  asked  of  Gipsy,  seeing  the  latter  made 
no  attempt  at  packing,  or  even  collecting, 
her  treasures. 

"  No,"  said  Gipsy. 

"  Not  a  single  thing  I " 

"  No." 

"  Gipsy  Warner !  "  said  Stella,  sitting  on 


Gipsy's  Adventukes.  167 

the  flooi  before  her  open  trunk ;  "  I  don't 
know  what  to  make  of  you  ! " 

"  You  can't  make  any  thing.  Do  let  me 
alone;"  and  Gipsy  hurried  out  of  the 
room. 

"  It's  the  queerest  thing ! "  said  Stella  to 
herself.  "One  of  Gipsy's  kinks.  I  never 
saw  her  act  so  before." 

Pa  Goodenough  came  and  stayed  over 
one  night,  and  Stella  and  Gipsy  had  so 
much  to  talk  about  that  nobody  else  had 
a  chance  to  get  a  word  in  even  edgeways. 
They  were  to  be  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  Uncle  Nathan  proposed  they  should 
take  their  breakfast  over  night,  in  order  to 
save  time. 

When   Stella   was   partially  undressed, 

Gipsy,  who  had  stood  drumming  on  the 

window,  suddenly  exclaimed, 

"O,  I  have  forgotten  something!"  and 
21 


168  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

in  a  moment  whisked  herself  out  of  the 
room. 

She  stole  softly  down  the  stairs  and  into 
the  sitting-room,  where  Uncle  Nathan, 
Aunt  Hannah,  and  Pa  Goodenough  were 
sitting.  Her  heart  flew  up  with  such  a 
jerk  into  her  throat  that  it  seemed  as  if  all 
the  blood  in  her  body  would  fly  out  of  the 
top  of  her  head,  and  it  was  with  a  desper- 
ate rush  that  she  threw  herself  into  Aunt 
Hannah's  arms. 

"What  is  the  matter?" 

"  Is  any  body  sick  ? " 

"  I  wonder ! "  were  the  questions  and  ex- 
clamations that  greeted  her. 

"  Can  I  stay  ?  "  gasped  Gipsy. 

"  Stay  ?  You  don't  mean  it !  "  said  Aunt 
Hannah,  pressing  the  panting  heart  more 
closely  to  her  own.  "  Will  you  stay  and 
be  my  little  girl — my  very  own  \ " 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  169 

"May  I?"  asked  Gipsy,  with  her  eyes 
overflowing  with  tears. 

"May  you,  dear  child?  It  is  what  I 
longed  for;  but  I  wanted  you  to  come 
willingly." 

"  I  do,"  said  Gipsy.  "Aunt  Elsie  doesn't 
need  me." 

"And  I  do.  You  have  given  me  great 
joy,  Gipsy;  now  run  to  bed  for  I  hear 
Stella  calling." 

"  Did  you  find  it  \ "  asked  Stella  on  her 
return. 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  you  were  long  enough  about  it ! 
Gipsy,  do  you  remember  the  first  night  we 
came  here,  when  you  heard  the  ocean  roar- 
ing and  thought  it  was  an  endless  train  of 
cars  ? " 

Gipsy  remembered. 

"  Can't  you  hear  them  now  ?    They  seem 


170  Gipsy's  Adventuees. 

to  say  '  Get  ready  !  get  ready  !  I'm  a-com- 
ing  !  I'm  a-coming  ! '  and  it  makes  me  very 
impatient." 

"They  don't  say  so  to  me,"  said  Gipsy. 
"I  can't  hear  any  thing  but  ' Good-bye! 
good-bye!  ha,  ha!  you're  left  behind!'" 
and  with  smiles  upon  their  faces  they  fell 
into  the  comfortable  embrace  of  sleep. 

Gipsy  was  awake  and  dressed  long  be- 
fore Stella  the  next  morning;  and  when 
the  latter  opened  her  eyes  she  was  hardly 
certain  of  her  escape  from  dream-land. 

It  was  a  bewildering  day  for  every 
body.  Uncle  Nathan  went  outdoors  sev- 
eral times  without  his  hat,  and  when  he 
came  in  for  it  was  just  as  likely  to  catch 
up  any  thing  else  as  the  thing  he  wanted. 

Pa  Goodenough  put  down  the  paper  he 
was  reading  when  Gipsy  appeared,  and 
taking  her  on  his  knee  kissed  her  tenderly. 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  171 

"  We  shall  miss  our  Gipsy  very  much 
indeed,"  he  said,  "but  she  will  be  our  lit- 
tle girl  all  the  same.  What  shall  I  say  to 
Aunt  Elsie?" 

"Tell  her,"  said  Gipsy,  choking  a  little, 
"  tell  her  there  was  a  knot  in  the  thread." 

"And  the  Lord  helped  you  untie  it — 
I  certainly  will." 

It  was  hard  to  convince  Stella  that  Gip* 
sy  was  not  to  return  with  her,  that  the 
two  were  to  be  separated  perhaps  for  a 
long,  long  time.  It  took  away  some  of  the 
joy  of  going  home,  while  it  explained  the 
strange  mood  into  which  Gipsy  had  fallen 
for  the  past  few  days. 

"  I  think  Gipsy  was  real  cruel ! "  she 
said  to  her  father,  later  in  the  day,  as  they 
returned  over  the  road  w7here  she  was 
more  than  ever  reminded  of  her  lost  com- 
panion. 


172  Gipsy's  Adventures. 

"  Gipsy  did  just  right,  Stella.  It  was  a 
noble  impulse.  I  think  she  has  found  her 
true  place." 

"  But  it  was  all  in  a  minute  so,"  said 
Stella,  the  complaining  tone  still  in  her 
voice. 

"It  seemed  all  in  a  minute,"  said  her 
father,  "but  it  was  not  really  done  in 
haste.  I  think  things  were  working  that 
way — ■" 

"  All  summer  I  " 

"All  Gipsy's  life." 

"  O,  papa !  "  exclaimed  Stella,  rather  in- 
credulously. 

"Yes,  dear;  and  if  it  isn't  the  right 
place  for  Gipsy  the  Lord  will  make  a  way 
out  for  her,  and  lead  her  on  further." 

I  will  leave  you  to  imagine  Stella's  home- 
coming, and  the  amazement  depicted  on 
every   face — even  Beauty's!  —  when   she 


Gipsy's  Adventures.  173 

and  her  father  appeared  without  Gipsy. 
It  took  but  a  moment  to  explain,  and 
Aunt  Elsie,  who  had  gone  deeper  into  the 
child's  heart  than  many  another  and  un- 
derstood its  yearnings  and  troubles,  and 
had  watched  over  her  with  a  mother's  anx- 
iety, knew  very  well  that  this  tie  had  not 
been  lightly  broken,  nor  other  ties  lightly 
assumed. 

She  studied  over  it  and  guessed  how  it 
came  about.  "  Gipsy  knew  of  the  panic 
— heard  my  letter  read — and  feared  she 
might  be  a  burden  !  The  proud,  sensitive 
child!" 

And  Gipsy  \ 

Aunt  Elsie  had  guessed  the  truth — part 
of  it,  at  least.  She  was  a  burden  to  Aunt 
Elsie  she  could  be  a  help  to  Aunt  Han- 
nah; and  shutting  her  eyes  to  whatever 
sacrifices  she  made — and  it  was  a  sacrifice 


174  Gipsy's  Adventukes. 

to  leave  such  a  home  as  Aunt  Elsie's — she 
determined  to  take  root  in  Meterville. 

And  there  we  leave  her. 

Of  all  her  summer's  adventures  let  us 
hope  that  this  will  have  the  most  lasting 
influence  upon  her  life,  and  prove  but  as  a 
stepping-stone  to  higher  fields  of  useful- 
ness, to  nobler  deeds,  and  a  more  generous 
forgetfulness  of  self. 


THE  END. 


/ 


!' 


